Budget 2021: Bharat Biotech Lauds 'Far-Reaching' Plan After Massive Allocation For Covid-19 Vaccination

The commitment to provide more funds for the Coronavirus vaccination drive has been welcomed by Bharat Biotech and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.

Representative Image

Hyderabad: Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech has lauded the budget for being a "far-reaching" initiative as a sum of Rs 35,000 crores has been allocated for Covid-19 vaccination in the Union Budget. It would help the country become free of viral disease, the company stated. 

Welcoming the proposal of the massive allocation for Coronavirus vaccines, Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said: "It's a great step ahead, and far-reaching budget announcement, providing Rs 35,000 crores for Covid-19 vaccination in 2021-22".

The commitment to provide more funds for containing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and give an effective path for the vaccination scheme "will help contain, and lead our nation towards accomplishing a Covid-19 disease-free Bharat," he said in a statement.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Oxford's Covishield had received restricted emergency use authorisation for the ongoing inoculation drive.

The Rs 64,180 crore spending plan for healthcare over the next six years to be spent on primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, in addition to the National Health Mission was also a welcome move, he said.

He emphasised that the plan would strengthen public health services as 17,000 rural and 11,000 urban health and wellness centres and integrated public health labs would be set up in each district.

The government focus, on three areas - preventive health, curative health and well-being, was also very reassuring, he said.

"With this landmark budget, the Government of India has signalled its intention to make health a cornerstone of the future success of our country. The allocation to vaccines signals a shift to preventive health care, a validation of the fact that vaccines are the most cost-effective health care interventions," he added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd stated that the budget was growth-oriented as there is "something in it for everyone".

Lauding the plan, Chairman of Dr Reddy's K Satish Reddy stated that the government has taken a big step in healthcare, making an outlay of 2.23 lakh crores, a 137 per cent increase from last year as a step that was "long overdue".

"On innovation and R&D (Research and Development), the additional allocation of Rs 50,000 crore over five years through the National Research Foundation marks a good beginning in improving the research eco-system in the country," he added.

As with all budgets, this too contained concrete proposals that were encouraging but it was the execution that finally matters, he stressed while he shared his hope that government will get the execution right.

(With Agency Inputs)