Pictured in feature image: Sharad Pawar and SII founder Cyrus Poonawalla at an event in Pune, August 2018
The Maharashtra-based Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar received funds worth ₹59.9 crore in 2019-20, the Lok Sabha election-year. Among its largest donors is the vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII). Founded by Cyrus Poonawalla, SII is a manufacturer of immunobiological drugs, including vaccines, in India. It is the world’s largest vaccine producer by number of doses produced.
According to the contribution report filed by the NCP with the Election Commission of India, COVID-19 vaccine maker Serum Institute Of India (SII) donated ₹3 crore to the party in a single transaction dated October 14, 2019, positioning it as one of the biggest donor of the Pawar-led party.
SII is in the news currently as it is at the vanguard of India’s vaccine development, spearheading efforts against the global COVID-19 pandemic. Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine is being manufactured by SII in India as Covishield. In September of last year, SII received an additional funding of $150 million for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccine doses for low and middle income countries from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, taking the total funding to $300 million.
Apart from the Pune-based biotechnology firm, the NCP has reported its biggest funding of ₹20 crore from B G Shirke Construction group. The Panchshil Corporate Bank is second on the list, with donations totaling ₹7.5 crores. Infrastructure firms Lodha developers and Modern Road makers chipped in with ₹5 crore each. The Harmony Electoral Trust added ₹1.5 crore to the pile. Sharad Pawar’s daughter and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule sent in about ₹7 lakh in several tranches.
Sharad Pawar had visited Serum Institute India, Pune in August 2020 after SII had signed an agreement to manufacture the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
In November 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited SII, Pune to review the development and manufacturing of the COVID-19 vaccine, and to get a first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India’s endeavour to vaccinate its citizens.