The Centre will seriously take into consideration Kerala government's plea for setting up a bio-safety lab in the state at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore for virus testing, Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan today said.
The Minister's assurance came in response to a request from
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy while dedicating the first phase of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) Bio-Innovation Centre (BIC) at the KINFRA Film and Video Park at nearby Kazhakootam.
"It is the responsibility of the government to ensure public health and safeguard public interest," Vardhan said adding he would look into the feasibility of setting up the bio-safety lab on his return to Delhi.
He pointed out that the bio-technology (BT) sector had grown 70 per cent in the country, and in 10 years it was expected to reach USD 100 crore, with production pushing it to the third biggest industry, ahead of the pharmaceutical industry.
By 2025, the country was set to be the third biggest global player in the field of BT, which works in disease prevention and producing vaccines, he said.
"The RGCB creates and trains the best manpower and brings scientific research into the public domain," Dr Vardhan said.
"Time bound R&D should be done here," Chandy, who delivered the presidential address, said pointing out that virus testing for Kerala was now done in labs in Pune and Bhopal.
"A bio-safety lab will be beneficial not just for Kerala, but for all of south India," the Chief Minister. "Diagnostics and testing for disease is mandatory for Kerala, which plays host to migratory birds and visitors from different places. When Kerala was hit by epidemic, the RGCB played a valuable role in diagnostics," he noted.
RGCB director, Dr M Radhakrishna Pillai, unveiled plans to set up a 75-bed facility with the help of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College's Regional Cancer Centre at Phase II of the BIC Aakulam centre.
The sprawling facility at phase one, spread over 50,000 sq ft, has advanced platforms for next generation genetic sequencing, high-end bio-imaging as well as a state-of-the-art molecular diagnostics facility that serves Kerala and neighbouring states.
The facility has also signed an MoU with the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment that will enable the Kottayam-based Srinivasa Ramanujam Institute for Basic Sciences to do research here.
