Govt accords ‘Y’ category security cover to Serum Institute’s Adar Poonawalla

New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday accorded security cover of Y category on an all India basis to Chief Executive Officer of India’s largest vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) Adar Poonawalla.

Granting permission for the security cover to Mr Poonawalla, sources in the security set up said the MHA has assigned the task to India’s largest paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which has received the order to prepare for the task.      

As part of the security cover, he will be protected by 11 security personnel of the CRPF including one or two trained commandos in personal protection. The security cover is provided to the protectee at all places across the country.

 Mr Poonawalla, 40, is one of the key players in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Covishield vaccine developed by the Pune-based SII is one of the two anti-COVID jabs, which are currently administered to the beneficiaries in the country. (UNI)