I
am extremely delighted to visit Centre for Cellular and
Molecular Biology, one of India’s premier scientific institutions, and interact
with all of you. I was just now shown around some of the facilities and
was briefed on the work being done here. I pay my compliments to the Director
and all the senior scientists, researchers and others for the excellent work
being done in these labs. From DNA fingerprinting technology to population
genetics, CCMB has made impressive strides in various domains of biology. I was
particularly impressed with some of your research outcomes like the bacterial
blight-resistant improved Samba Masuri variety of rice developed in
collaboration with the Indian Institute of Rice Research. I am happy to
note that the improved variety is being grown in eight States in about 3 lakh
hectares with a turnover of about140
Rs. 2880 crore. I am told that trait-specific benefit to the farmers is about
Rs. 550 crore. I am a farmer160 myself
and I understand the suffering and pain of the farmers when their crops
get blighted by disease. I am also aware that the DNA fingerprinting technology
developed at CCMB made India the third country ever to have its indigenous
probe for DNA fingerprinting.
Over
the years, thanks to the untiring efforts of our
scientists, India has achieved remarkable progress in various areas from
achieving self-sufficiency in food production because of green revolution to making spectacular strides in space exploration. I am
quite delighted to know that India now stands at 3rd position
globally, in the number of peer-reviewed Science and Engineering
Publications. It is equally appreciable that India improved its ranking by five
places in the Global Innovation Index280 and moved to 52nd position in 2019. It is also pleasing to
note that the total number of patent applications filed by scientists
and inventors in India increased to 61,788 in Financial Year 2019 from 47,857
in Financial Year 2018. 320 Thus, India stood at 10th position for patents which included
only resident applications. While these figures indicate the steady progress we
are making in science and technology, there is no room for complacency
or to rest on our past laurels. We need to improve further and aim to be
among the top nations in scientific discoveries and inventions.
I am sure that we can achieve higher goals if we create the right
ecosystem for innovation and creativity to thrive. Our scientific labs like
CCMB should become global hubs in their respective scientific fields.
Our country has highly talented and hardworking420 scientists and the need of the hour is to provide them with the
wherewithal and encouragement to carry on with their scientific pursuits, unhindered
by any kind of red tape. The youngsters in particular should be allowed
to take up challenging research assignments and come up with innovative and
out-of-box ideas. As new technologies emerge, new challenges will also arise. 480 But ultimately, the outcome of every scientific endeavour has to be
to improve the lives of people in all aspects. Scientists like
you must find answers to the many challenges the world is facing today like
poverty, effects of climate change, pollution, lack of clean drinking water,
sanitation, increasing urbanization and growing drug resistance, among
others. Issues like growing anti-microbial resistance need concerted efforts at
the global level. A study in 2016 has attributed 7,00,000 deaths each year
globally to560 anti-microbial
resistance. Modern medicine is facing a serious threat on account of this
problem as many antibiotics might eventually become ineffective if this
trend continues unchecked. Imagine what will happen even if a common infection
turns into a health threat. Apart from preventing drug resistance, there is a
need to develop new antibiotics. I am happy to know that CCMB is working in
this area with focus on understanding microbial physiology. Also, the periodic
outbreak of epidemics and new viruses640 not only highlights our vulnerability to diseases but also underscores
the need for early detection and cooperation on a global scale to contain any
serious fallout. As you are aware, the newly-discovered strain of Coronavirus
is spreading across nations and causing a major concern to health authorities. Please
remember that the real wealth of a nation is determined by700 the health of
its populace.
As India aspires for faster, sustainable and
inclusive growth, the Indian Science and Technology Innovation System has a
vital role to play in realising the demographic dividend and in
achieving the national goals. Further, India has declared 2010-20 as the
“Decade of Innovation”. The Government has stressed the need to enunciate a
policy to synergize science, technology and innovation and has put in place the
National Innovation Council. Since investment in Science and Technology
Innovation plays a major role in promoting research and developing cutting
edge technologies, I appeal to the private sector to create800 a fund for financing innovative scientific projects that address
societal concerns. Also, the funding for basic research needs to be stepped up.
I am glad that CCMB is conducting research in frontier and
multi-disciplinary areas of modern biology and has840 trained a huge number of scientists, especially through its Ph.D.
programme. I am told that of the nearly 400 PhD scholars produced from CSIR and
CCMB, more than 120 are now in leadership positions in highly placed
institutions in the country as well as their own biotech industry activities. I
am also happy to know that CCMB is analyzing India’s biodiversity as well as
human origins and ancestry through genomics and genetic studies. I am told
that CCMB’s genetic studies have provided evidence that the enigmatic tribal
populations of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the first modern humans,
who migrated out of Africa about 70,000 years ago. Interestingly, the migration
of these people was through the coastal routes, along the eastern coast960 and then following the southern tip of the continent. As regards
migration patterns and genetic relatedness within the Indian population980 that
consists of more than 5000 distinct ethnic groups, I was informed that CCMB
study revealed shared ancestry for the South and North Indian populations
unlike the theory of “Aryan invasion”. I am also glad to know that this
institute is running a Genetic Diagnostic and Counselling Centre and is
providing rapid and quality genetic diagnostic tests for 35 genetic
disorders. It is important to predict and prevent genetic diseases
as more than 70 million Indians are estimated to be suffering from genetic
disorders, according to the Organization for Rare Diseases in India. I feel
that the time has come for CCMB to develop Rapid DNA Testing Kits for detection
of some of the rare diseases and many other genetic disorders.
Institutions like yours must also take up campaigns on a massive scale to
create awareness among the people about the1120 health risks associated with consanguineous marriages, particularly
those relating to congenital disorders. I am sure that the recently
established state-of-the-art Next Generation Sequencing Facility
will be crucial in tackling the huge genetic disease burden of India.
I must also compliment CCMB for its efforts in wildlife conservation by
establishing a laboratory for conservation of endangered species.
I am happy to note that Scientists at this lab have demonstrated successful
artificial insemination in spotted deer as a model for conservation of
critically endangered deer species of India. The near-extinct mouse deer was
also rescued by a selective breeding programme and re-introduced in their
native habitat. I am also happy to know that CCMB is extending support to life
science entrepreneurs and incubating through its Common Research and
Technology Development Hub and Atal Incubation Centre. I am told that1260 currently more than 20 life science companies ranging from diagnostics,
vaccines, drug discovery and repurposing, food and health are based here. 1280 I
am also happy to learn that in the 1990s CCMB incubated the first biotech
company in India – Shantha Biotechnics. This company was instrumental in making
Hepatitis B vaccine affordable to Indians by bringing down the price of the vaccine. I
strongly believe that technology, innovation, science and research must improve
the lives of the common man and benefit crucial sectors like agriculture. I am
sure that CCMB with its dedicated team of scientists will come out with
path-breaking results to address many of the societal concerns and improve the
lives of the common men.
With about 60 percent of our population below the
age of 35 years, India is poised to realize a huge demographic dividend.
However, the need1400 of the hour is for the youth to be healthy in a holistic manner. The
problems affecting the youth such as overweight or depression can be avoided
totally by the daily practice of yoga asanas. It is essential because
the youth1440 are suffering from lack of self-control, self-confidence, and
coordination between body and mind. Ever-mounting pressure, wayward
lifestyle and changing food habits have resulted in youth suffering from
physical and psychological disorders. In the long run, they are
leading to life-threatening diseases. Our ancestors had shown the simplest
remedy for these lifestyle disorders, and that is the Science of Yoga. Yoga
occupies a prominent place in 64 ancient arts. In December 2014, the United
Nations had declared June 21 as ‘International Day of Yoga’ as proposed by
India and the same was endorsed by a record 175 Member States. The
massive participation of people from all over the world during the
International Yoga Day celebrations annually is a testament to its global
popularity. I believe that Yoga will be a powerful tool to bring
about the desired transformation in people who practice it regularly. Stressful
workplaces, rise in environmental pollution, changing lifestyle and eating
habits are impacting the health of our1600 youth population.
