Sharad Pawar demands Bharat Ratna for SII founder Cyrus Poonawalla
Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar has called for Cyrus Poonawalla, founder of the Serum Institute Of India (SII), to be awarded the 'Bharat Ratna' for his outstanding contributions to vaccine production in India.
New Delhi: Senior leader Sharad Pawar on Wednesday demanded that Cyrus Poonawalla, founder of Serum Institute Of India (SII) be honored with the 'Bharat Ratna' for his outstanding work in vaccine manufacturing in India.
While Pawar addressed the audience at an awards function in Pune, Maharashtra pointed out Cyrus Poonawalla who was also present at the function. He highlighted how the Serum Institute's vaccine has proven its effectiveness for many diseases, including COVID-19, and how significant their contribution is.
Sharad Pawar's demand to the government
He stated: “Every time five children are born in the world, three of them receive a vaccine serum. During the Corona crisis, SII provided vaccines to the whole world, especially in African countries where the need for the vaccine was great. The vaccine was delivered on a large scale, and for this, Cyrus Poonawala and his team took the responsibility of serving the people.”
“His work on vaccines is significant. Firstly, we felt bad when the Government of India gave him Padma Shri, but later he got Padma Bhushan. Today the new generation of the world is working in the field of vaccines. Considering his contribution, the government should not restrict him to Padma Bhushan but should be given Bharat Ratna,” Pawar added.
Sharad Pawar further asserted, “I expect the central government to take this demand seriously considering the work Poonawala has done for the world, the country and humanity.”
About Cyrus Ponnawalla
Cyrus Poonawalla is prominent in the pharmaceutical sector and is a leading personality in vaccine manufacturing and distribution. Poonawalla is the founder of SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume. As such, he has been instrumental in providing many countries, especially those with few resources, with high-quality vaccines at reasonable prices, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SII, led by Poonawalla, played a crucial role in the development of numerous vaccines, including vaccines against diseases such as influenza, measles, polio and rubella. Furthermore, SII became a key player in the global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by manufacturing and supplying millions of doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, also known as Covishield, in India.