Industries stand with CSIR in fighting COVID-19
INN/New Delhi, @Infodeaofficial
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has adopted a five-tier strategy to fight COVID-19, which is also getting wide support from the industry to implement it. This information was provided by Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Director General of CSIR. He was addressing an online zoom meeting with directors of 38 laboratories of CSIR to discuss the strategy related to Kovid-19.
PCR machines were handed over on 5 April 2020. The equipment was procured by Dr. Amarutha Kumari, Nodal Officer, Virus Research and Diagnostics Laboratory (VRDL) and in charge, COVID Test Laboratory, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysuru. He said that this would help the Center to triple the number of tests being conducted every day. The RNA extraction unit will arrive there in a week.CSIR laboratories dealing with Kovid-19 are operating at five levels. Some companies have been tied up to implement these strategies.
These companies include Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Cipla, TCS, Bharat Biotech, Reliance, Tata Sons, Unilever, Intel, TCS, Cadila and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Dr. Mande informed that CSIR is getting full support of these companies. The core team of CSIR, comprising eight directors of its laboratories, is working to fight Kovid-19 under the leadership of Director-General, Dr. Shekhar Mande.
CSIR has tied up with Reliance for personal safety and diagnostic tools. At the same time, Tata Sons is also helping to overcome the shortage of personal protective equipment and hospital aids. Unilever is helping to produce zinc gluconate and proline complex and promote rural entrepreneurship. While Intel, a pioneer in the information technology sector, has extended a helping hand to digital surveillance, TCS is collaborating in both digital surveillance and supply chains. Cipla is working with Bharat Biotech CSIR on drug recombination, Cadila for coronavirus therapy and inactivated vaccine.
The work of digital and molecular surveillance is being done under the supervision of Dr. Anurag Aggarwal, Director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrated Biology (IGIB). The rapid and economical diagnostic kit is being developed under the leadership of Dr. Rakesh Mishra, Director of Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Development and recombination of medicines Dr. S. S., Director of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT).
Dr. Jitendra J., director of National Aerospace Laboratory, responsible for the development of assistive devices used in hospitals. Has been handed over to Jadhav. Whereas, the supply of personal protective equipment is being done under the supervision of Dr. Anjan Ray, Director of Indian Institute of Petroleum.
A strategic group headed by Dr. Mande has also been formed to fight COVID-19. Dr. Mande is continuously reviewing these workplaces together with the Working Group. He has said that any lab or scientist wishing to contribute to any of CSIR’s five-point agenda can contact the heads of the working group. Dr. Ram A., Director of Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM). Vishwakarma has been made the coordinator of this workgroup.