Government Greenlights 165 Bio-Safety and 42 Virus Research Labs
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Synopsis
The Central government has authorized the establishment of 165 bio-safety laboratories to enhance research and readiness for disease outbreaks, as stated by Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav. Additionally, 42 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories have been approved to strengthen diagnostic capabilities nationwide.
Key Takeaways
- 165 bio-safety labs approved for the nation.
- Includes 11 BSL-3 and 154 BSL-2 labs.
- 42 Virus Research and Diagnostic Labs sanctioned.
- Majority of labs operational and reporting data.
- Funding enhances infrastructure and resources.
New Delhi, March 21 (NationPress) To enhance research, diagnostics, and readiness for disease outbreaks, the Central government has sanctioned 165 bio-safety laboratories across the nation, as announced by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in Parliament on Friday.
The approved labs fall under the initiative “Establishing a Nationwide Network of Laboratories for Managing Epidemics and National Calamities”, which includes 11 biosafety level - 3 (BSL-3) labs, while the majority, 154, are categorized as BSL-2.
Biosafety laboratories are classified according to their risk levels (BSL-1 to BSL-4), with BSL-4 being designated for the highest containment of hazardous pathogens, while BSL-1 is suitable for basic educational labs with minimal risk.
Moreover, 21 additional bio-safety laboratories have been set up within various institutions of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), equipped with varying biosafety levels including BSL-4 (1), BSL-3 (8), and BSL-2 (12), as noted by Jadhav in a written response to the Lok Sabha.
Additionally, the Minister of State mentioned that since 2021, a total of 42 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) have received approval under the same initiative. Of these, 41 labs are classified as BSL-2 and 1 lab as BSL-3.
These laboratories are primarily situated in the Microbiology Departments of various medical schools and research facilities, according to Jadhav.
He stated that 38 out of the 42 VRDLs are currently operational, as they are submitting testing data to the ICMR-NIE portal.
Furthermore, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has provided funding for 5 BSL/ABSL-3 labs under the Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRHPA) program.
Based on inputs from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), 26 bio-safety laboratories have been established in various DBT institutes.
The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has reported the establishment of 9 bio-safety laboratories across its institutes.
According to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), 11 bio-safety laboratories have been created in its various institutes, Jadhav noted.
“These laboratories are tasked with the diagnosis and research on significant public health viral pathogens. The testing data is uploaded to a dedicated portal set up at the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE) in Chennai, which also interfaces with the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal. A laboratory is deemed functional once it begins reporting to the data portal,” Jadhav clarified.
Importantly, funds from this initiative are allocated for infrastructure upgrades, procurement of equipment, consumables, and manpower support.
