Concerns Rise Over Future of Vaccine PSU BIBCOL

The Congress criticized the government for the reported decline of Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Limited (BIBCOL) and its impact on India's vaccine production capabilities. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted that the factory has ceased production since December 2022 and workers remain unpaid, emphasizing the need for strong domestic manufacturing capabilities.

The Congress party on Friday voiced strong criticism against the government over the alleged decline of Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Limited (BIBCOL), warning that the shutdown of vaccine public sector units (PSUs) would further erode the country's capabilities.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge communications, shared a media report on X, detailing that the BIBCOL factory in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, which was instrumental in India's polio eradication efforts, has not produced a vaccine since December 2022.

'BIBCOL, established in the late 1980s on the initiative of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was aimed at making India self-sufficient in oral polio vaccine production. I had the good fortune of being involved in its establishment,' Ramesh noted.

However, Ramesh claims BIBCOL now faces a dire situation under the current administration. He said manufacturing has been halted since December 2022, and workers haven't received wages for a year, leaving them in a state of desperation.

'Efforts to revive it for Covaxin production during the COVID-19 pandemic failed due to lacking administrative will, despite funds being sanctioned,' Ramesh alleged.

Ramesh accused the Prime Minister of ignoring the plant during an election campaign visit to Bulandshahr.

He asserted that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the necessity for robust domestic manufacturing, including public sector operations, criticizing the government strategy during the devastating second wave which, according to him, was preventable.

He cautioned that closing vaccine PSUs would further weaken India's capabilities in vaccine manufacturing.

(With inputs from agencies.)