DW BUREAU / CHANDIGARH Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said on Wednesday he has spoken to Dr Reddy's Laboratories to explore the possibility if Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19 can be manufactured in any of the plants in Haryana. Dr Reddy's Laboratories is in a pact with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to sell 125 million people doses (250 million vials) of COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India. "I spoke to the Managing Director of Dr Reddy's Laboratories to explore if Sputnik vaccine manufacturing can be given to any plant in Haryana," Chautala said during a news conference here. He said Union minister Nitin Gadkari has suggested that more pharma companies should be allowed to make COVID-19 vaccine in the country during the pandemic to scale up production. Haryana will also explore if there can be tie-ups with companies like Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India, which are manufacturing vaccines in India, to scale up production, he said. Dr Reddy's, which had received over two lakh vaccines from RDIF, recently soft-launched Sputnik V and tied up with Apollo Hospitals for piloting the vaccine. In August 2020, Russia became the world's first country to register a coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. Subsequently, in September, Dr Reddy's and RDIF entered into a partnership to conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V, which is developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. Dr Reddy's Laboratories has received approval from the Indian drug regulator for restricted emergency use of Sputnik V. Chautala's response came during a question asked on the COVID-19 vaccination drive going on in the state. He said the state government was stepping up anti-COVID vaccination drive in both urban and rural areas. Besides, Haryana was floating global tenders for procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, he said. "Our endeavour is to procure as many vaccines from those companies which the Centre and ICMR has permitted," he said. (editor@dailyworld.in)