Vardhan urges scientists to bring nutritional revolution

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 6

The Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan, encouraged scientists and students to exploit the biotechnological tools to address the problems related to quality of food and malnutrition with full enthusiasm and zeal.

He urged them to take inspiration from the legacy and contributions of champions in the field of science and technology.

The minister was in the town to inaugurate the new administrative and research buildings of two national institutes—National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) and Centre of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB) —under the administrative control of the Department of Biotechnology, Union Ministry of Science and Technology, Sector 81, here today.

The other dignitaries, present on the occasion, included Dr K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, DBT, Arun Kumar Grover, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Dr TR Sharma, Executive Director, NABI, and Dr Rajender Singh Sangwan, Chief Executive Officer.

While expressing his pleasure in dedicating both the institutes to the nation, Dr Harsh Vardhan urged both the institutes to address the problems of hunger and malnutrition and bring nutritional revolution in the country through biotechnology research and innovation for food and nutrition security.

He also emphasised on the need for quality research work and output with optimal utilisation of the state-of-art equipment and infrastructure that can reach common man in a form that can be easily perceived in proper perspective.

NABI is the first agri-food and nutritional-based biotechnology institute set up by the Department of Biotechnology in the Knowledge City, Sector 81, Mohali. CIAB has been set up adjacent to NABI and is the first institute dedicated to generation of secondary agriculture bio products through value addition to unutilised and under-utilised biomass. The campus comprises of laboratory buildings, 15 acres of land for field experiments, a large glass house, transgenic net houses, office area, housing, guest house, research scholar hostel, utilities and other requisite services. Total area of the campus is 50 acres.

Fact file 

Dr Harsh Vardhan urged the scientists and students to address the problems of hunger and malnutrition and bring about nutritional revolution in the country through biotechnology research and innovation for food and nutrition security. He also emphasised upon the need for quality research work and output with optimal utilisation of the state-of-art equipment and infrastructure that can reach the common man in a form that can be easily perceived in proper perspective.