Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Health and Family Welfare, S&T, and ES Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on April 12, 2020, reviewed the steps undertaken by CSIR and its constituent 38 labs towards mitigation of Coronavirus outbreak in the country. He met all the CSIR lab directors and DG CSIR, Dr Shekhar C Mande, through a video conference.
Dr Shekhar C Mande apprised the Minister of the recent initiative of setting up of Core Strategy Group (CSG) and the five verticals under which the COVID-19 related activities are being carried out. The five verticals namely: Digital and Molecular Surveillance; Rapid and Economical Diagnostics; New Drugs / Repurposing of Drugs and associated production processes; Hospital Assistive Devices and PPEs; and Supply Chain and Logistics Support Systems are being reviewed. Dr Mande also mentioned that CSIR is working in close partnership with major Industries, PSUs, MSMEs and other departments and ministries.
Dr Vardhan was happy to note that many CSIR labs are engaged in testing of patient samples with CSIR-CCMB, CSIR-IGIB, CSIR-IIIM and CSIR-IMTECH already testing and CSIR-IHBT, CSIR-NEERI and CSIR-IICB having just received approval. With few more CSIR labs like CSIR-CDRI, CSIR-IITR and CSIR-NEIST getting ready for testing and CSIR-CLRI, CSIR-NIIST and CSIR-NIO supporting State Governments with RT-PCR machines, 14 CSIR labs are contributing to Corona Virus diagnosis. The Minister appreciated the efforts of CSIR-IGIB which has developed rapid and cheap Paper based diagnostic test and CSIR-IICB for initiating plasma based therapy for Coronavirus patients.
Dr Rakesh Mishra, Director CSIR-CCMB, informed that nearly 500 sequences of Coronavirus are expected from CSIR in the next 3-4 weeks and Dr Anurag Agrawal, Director CSIR-IGIB informed that CSIR is working closely with TCS and Intel and others in developing a digital platform which will help in surveillance of corona outbreak in the country, .
The Minister appreciated that CSIR is working closely with Ministry of AYUSH for Preventive and prophylactic, symptom management and add-on interventions to the modern medicine treatments. Dr Ram Vishwakarma, Director CSIR-IIIM informed Dr Vardhan that CSIR and Ministry of Ayush have planned jointly to take up four botanicals Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Ayush-64 for development.
Dr Vardhan also appreciated that many CSIR labs are helping the frontline workers, police and other citizens by preparing and distributing safety items and devices in large quantities. He emphasised on the need for scientists across CSIR and other ministries to work together and come up with S&T based solutions to tackle the challenge thrown by the current pandemic, according to a PIB release.