Mumbai, Apr 16 (IANS): In a major step to ramp up vaccine production amid the Covid-19 second wave, the Centre has approved production of Corona vaccines from the Maharashtra government-owned Haffkine Institute in Mumbai.

Since the past month, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had repeatedly requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow production of vaccines in the renowned institution in central Mumbai.

The central approval came late on Thursday night green-flagging the 122-year-old Haffkine Institute, Parel, to produce the Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for one-year under a technology transfer agreement.

Shortly after the announcement, Thackeray thanked the PM for the formal nod, sent by the Department of Science & Technology Secretary to state Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte of the approval for a period of 12 months.

The Haffkine Institute has the capacity to produce 22-crore doses annually, which would immensely help the ongoing Vaccination drive in the country with complaints of vaccine shortages coming up from several states including Maharashtra.