New Delhi, April 08. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has adopted a five-level strategy to fight dreaded COVID-19 (coronavirus), for which CSIR is getting immense support from the Indian and overseas industries for implementation of this strategy.
CSIR Director General (DG) Shekhar C. Mande has given the above information.
He was addressing a meeting with directors of 38 laboratories of CSIR through video conferencing to discuss the strategy related to COVID-19.
A statement from the Ministry of Science and Technology was issued on Wednesday stating that CSIR laboratories are working at five levels to deal with COVID-19. 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).
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 COVID-19.
Mande said that CSIR has tied up with Reliance for personal safety and diagnostic equipment. At the same time, Tata Sons is also helping to overcome the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital aids.
Unilever is helping to produce zinc glucanate and proline complex and promote rural entrepreneurship. While Intel, a pioneer in the information technology (IT) sector, has extended a helping hand to digital surveillance, told Mande.
While, IT giant TCS is collaborating in both digital surveillance and supply chains. Cipla is working with on drug recombination, Cadila for corona virus therapy whereas Bharat Biotech in collaboration with CSIR is working on inactivated vaccine. BHEL to develop electrostatic sprays and ventilators and companies such as BEL in collaboration with CSIR is working for the production of thermometers and oxygen units, informed DG CSIR.
However, the work of digital and molecular surveillance is being done under the supervision of Anurag Agarwal, Director of Institute of Genomics and Integrated Biology (IGIB). The rapid and economical diagnostic kit is being developed under the leadership of Rakesh Mishra, Director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), apprised Mande.
DG CSIR told that Director of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) S.Chandrasekhar is looking after the work of development and recombination of medicines.
Jitendra J. Jadhav, Director of National Aerospace Laboratory is responsible for the development of assistive devices used in hospitals. Whereas, the supply of PPE is being done under the supervision of Anjan Ray, Director of Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), told CSIR DG.
A strategic group formed to fight against COVID-19 is led by Shekhar C. Mande.
