The Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan today inaugurated the second edition of Global Bio-India-2021 in New Delhi through virtual mode. The 3-day event will showcase the strength and opportunities of the India’s biotechnology sector at national level and to the global community. The three day event being held from 1st to 3rd March 2021 has been organized on a digital platform. The theme for this year is “Transforming lives” with the tag line “Biosciences to Bio-economy”.
Being one of the largest biotechnology stakeholder conglomerates, this event is being co-organised by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India along with its Public Sector Undertaking, and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in partnership with industry association Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) and Invest India.
The Biotechnology sector has emerged as an integral part of the Indian economy over the past few decades, and the Government of India is playing a transformative and catalytic role in building a USD 150 billion bio-economy by 2025. The sector is recognized as one of the key drivers for India to achieve its USD 5 trillion target.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, in his inaugural address, informed that science and technology ecosystem in India has always been a dynamic and evolving area, with the support of the Government of India through its different schemes and policies. “However, in the last year, with the background of the Covid-19 pandemic, its true power, resilience and capability have been unleashed with concerted efforts of the government and private sector together”, the Minister asserted. “The Government through Department of Biotechnology (DBT), its Autonomous Institutes and Public Sector Undertakings, Department of Health Research (DHR), DST, ICMR, CSIR have been working relentlessly to mitigate the COVID-19 global health crisis through development of diagnostics, vaccines, monoclonals, novel protection equipment, support to Start ups, scaling up of diagnostic capacity and rapid regulatory response. A multi-pronged research strategy and action plan was evolved for immediate response including augmentation of COVID -19 testing across the country as well as for long-term preparedness to tackle the COVID-19 infection”, he pointed out. By virtue of being close to life sciences, Biotech is the closest to human welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan opined.
(PIB)
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