Chennai, Jun 2 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has reiterated his request to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to hand over the vaccine plant of HLL Biotech Ltd near here to the state government.

In a letter to Harsh Vardhan, a copy of which was released to the media here, Stalin said: "While I would like to reiterate our earlier request, I wish to highlight to you the urgency of the moment, given the need for immediate commencement of production."

On the Central government's information to the state that the former would bring in a private partner on its own to operate the plant, Stalin said: "Irrespective of whether it is the Union government or the state government which is to find the partner to operationalise the plant, the need of the hour is to ensure that there is absolutely no further delay in the process."

Stalin also told Harsh Vardhan that the state needs special allocation of 50 lakh doses of Covid vaccine, both though the government and non-government channels.

Thanking Harsh Vardhan for the allotment of 25.84 lakh vaccine doses through the government of India channel and 16.74 lakh doses through the non-government channel, Stalin said the state be allotted vaccines at levels similar to the comparable states.