The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday ordered Y-category security for Serum Institute of India (SII) chief executive Adar Poonawalla, ANI reported. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will provide pan-India security to the 40-year-old.

Earlier today, Poonawalla said that as a “philantrophic gesture”, the Pune-based firm will cut the price of its Covishield vaccine for states from Rs 400 to Rs 300 per dose.

SII had earlier announced it will sell its stock to states for Rs 400 per dose and to private hospitals at Rs 600 per dose. Poonawalla justified those prices by saying that they were based on advanced funding, and that the firm needs to invest in scaling up its capacity to produce more doses. 

Also Read | COVID vaccine registration: No slots available for many till July

In March, Poonawalla had rented a property in Mayfairs, London for £50,000 per week, a record for the exclusive neighbourhood, The Indian Express reported.  

The 25,000-square-feet mansion was leased from Polish billionaire Dominika Kulczyk, the daily reported quoting sources. The mansion also includes access to one of Mayfair’s “secret gardens”, accessible only to residents of the area. 

Also Read | ‘I humbly request you…’: Vaccine giant Adar Poonawala writes to Joe Biden

Poonawalla is part of one of India’s wealthiest families, which is estimated to be worth around $15 billion, most of which comes from the vaccine-manufacturing firm, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.