Pharma Regulatory Services Ltd offered to supply 60 million doses to Haryana.
The Haryana government has written to the foreign ministry to help to check the credentials of a company from Malta that has offered to supply doses of Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik. Pharma Regulatory Services Ltd has offered 60 million doses after a global tender floated by Haryana. Each dose will be priced at a whopping Rs 1,120.
"We had recently floated a global tender for Covid-19 vaccine in response to which we have received a letter of intent from a Malta based firm by the name of Pharma Regulatory Services Limited. You are requested to help us verify the credentials of the company esp in regards to previous work experience of similar nature and the bona fides of the firm in general," the letter read.
Rajiv Arora, the Additional Chief Secretary of the state's health department, said it was "due diligence".
"We have only received an expression of interest. The offer will be thoroughly examined before taking any further steps. It was only by way of information that this offer has been received," Mr Arora told NDTV.
"As per the offer made by the firm, the per-dose cost of the vaccine will be nearly Rs. 1,120. The firm has further given a timeline of 30 days to supply the first batch of 5 lakh doses, followed by 1 million doses every 20 days till supply is completed against a letter of credit issued in their name," the Haryana government said in a statement.
Multiple states have floated global tenders to acquire vaccines from abroad to supplement the Central supplies, which have slowed down to a trickle.
Following the devastation of the second wave of Covid, the pressure has been high to vaccinate the entire population of the country.
Doctors have repeatedly underscored that this is essential to bypass a possible third wave which can be even more fierce, given the tendency of the virus to mutate.
Under the Centre's vaccine policy, the Centre is supplying free vaccines only for people above the age of 45 years.
The government has said it will vaccinate the eligible population by December this year -- an announcement that has been met with much skepticism by critics and opposition parties.