Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the Genome India Project will empower India’s image in the field of genetic research. And extended his best wishes for the success of the Genome India Project at the commencement of the Genome India Project via video message on Thursday.
PM Modi announced, “The Genome India Project is an important milestone in the biotechnology revolution.” He acknowledged that this project has successfully created a diverse genetic resource by sequencing the genomes of 10,000 individuals from various populations.
PM pointed out that this data will be accessed by scientists and researchers, aiding scholars in understanding India’s genetic landscape. He stressed that this information will help in policy-making and planning for the country.
“World is looking to India for solutions to global problems, presenting both a responsibility and an opportunity for future generations,” said PM Modi. He further said that India is developing a vast research ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on research and innovation at all levels of education over the past decade.
Noting India’s evolving role as a significant pharma hub, the PM mentioned that over the past decade, India had adopted transformative steps in public healthcare, providing free treatment to millions of Indians, offering medicines at an 80% discount through Jan Aushadhi Kendras, and building modern medical infrastructure. The PM pointed out that India’s pharma ecosystem proved its capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PM further said that the combination of biotechnology and biomass in the 21st century forms a significant foundation for a developed India as a bioeconomy.” He mentioned that the goal of the bioeconomy is the optimal use of natural resources, promotion of bio-based products and services, and creation of new job possibilities in this sector.
He added that the bioeconomy promotes sustainable development and innovation. PM was pleased to note that India’s bioeconomy has grown rapidly over the past decade, from $10 billion in 2014 to over $150 billion today. He highlighted that India is striving to elevate its bioeconomy to new heights and recently launched the Bio E3 Policy.
PM Modi said it would help India to rise as a leader in the global biotech landscape, similar to the IT revolution. He acknowledged the significant role of scientists in this endeavor and extended his best wishes to them.
Touching upon the government’s recent significant decision of “One Nation, One Subscription,” the Prime Minister noted that this initiative will assure easy and cost-free access for Indian students and researchers to prestigious global journals.
“More than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs are enabling students to conduct new experiments daily,” said Shri Modi. He acknowledged that hundreds of Atal Incubation Centers have been set up across the country to support young innovators.
He added that the PM Research Fellowship Scheme is also being enforced to support research during PhD studies. Highlighting that the National Research Fund was created to promote multidisciplinary and international research, the Prime Minister said the Anusandhan National Research Foundation will support sectors such as science, engineering, environment, and health.
He remarked that the government had also decided to create a corpus of one lakh crore rupees to boost research and investment in sunrise technologies, which will aid the development of the biotechnology sector and support young scientists.
PM Modi further said, “Today India has taken a historic step in the field of research. He added that the Genome India project was approved 5 years ago, and our scientists have diligently worked and completed the project despite the challenges caused by the Covid pandemic. PM Modi remarked that more than 20 illustrious research institutions, such as IISc, IITs, CSIR, and DBT-BRIC, have played a significant role in this research. The data consisting of the genome sequences of 10,000 Indians was now available at the Indian Biological Data Center. The PM expressed confidence that this project would prove to be a landmark in the field of biotechnology research and congratulated all the stakeholders involved in the project.
The Prime Minister highlighted that there was a lack of awareness in India about various genetic diseases that are passed from one generation to another, and the Genome India Project would aid in developing effective treatments for all such diseases in India.
The PM remarked, “India’s pro-people governance and digital public infrastructure have demonstrated a new model for the world.” And concluded his speech by expressing best wishes for the success of this project.
