Union Minister Jitendra Singh lays foundation for cGMP facility at BRIC-RGCB

Key facts

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility at the Akkulam campus of Biotechnology Research and Innovation Centre--Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (BRIC-RGCB) in Thiruvananthapuram.
• He dedicated the National Facility for Recombinant Cells & Sensors, housing 600-700 types of stable cells covering several cancer targets, positioning it among the leading global resource centres for such innovative tools.
• Singh inaugurated the annual National Science Day programme at the BRIC-RGCB campus.
• The minister highlighted India's BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment) Policy as a dedicated biotechnology policy aimed at making the economy bio-driven.
• He noted the Union Budget announcement of the Biopharma SHAKTI Mission, signalling policy recognition that future global economies will increasingly be driven by biotechnology.
• Singh urged BRIC-RGCB to explore interdisciplinary collaborations with the private sector in the liberalised nuclear medicine domain.
• Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Director General, BRIC, Dr Rajesh Gokhale, stated that the government launched the HPV vaccination drive based on data generated by BRIC-RGCB.
• Prof VPN Nampoori of CUSAT, Kochi, authored the National Science Day book 'Quantum Physics: One Hundred Magical Years' released by the minister on the occasion.