RGCB will be considered for institute of nation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister for Science and Technology Vilas Rao Deshmukh said that he would positively consider making the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) an Institute of National Importance by an Act of Parliament. Vilas Rao Deshmukh had visited the institute briefly on his way back from Amritapuri in Kollam to New Delhi.The Minister said that he was impressed by the work done at RGCB aimed for the good of society at large, especially their contribution to the diagnosis and treatment of chikunguniya, dengue and cancer and also the efforts taken towards solving the problems of farmers such as developing disease-resistant varieties of ginger and pepper. Vilas Rao Deshmukh also said that he was exploring the possibilities of starting multiple satellite centres of the institute in various parts of the country. ‘’I am very particular that the fruits of research should benefit the common man since we invest a lot of taxpayer’s money into such institutes. We are looking into the possibility of starting such centres, where research work go beyond the four walls of the institute,’’ he said.Highly placed sources in the government said that the Union Minister had shown interest in starting a satellite centre of RGCB in Maharashtra. The Minister is also the president (ex-officio) of RGCB.RGCB director M Radhakrishna Pillai made a brief presentation about the various research activities, including drug development as well as training programmes for the popularisation of science, undertaken by the institute.The director also explained about the services given by the RGCB to society in the field of DNA fingerprinting and molecular diagnostics, that have played a major role in parental disputes. The director said that while the present three-acre campus of the RGCB at Jagathy here is focused on investigator-driven science, the recently-sanctioned 20-acre plot at Akkulam will be more of a team-driven science, focusing on nano biosciences, chronic disease biology, virology and a bio-energy speciality centre.The Union Minister who lauded the space utilisation of the present institute and visited the instrumentation facility as well as the Plant Molecular Biology laboratory at the institute before returning to Delhi by  late evening.