Imphal to host biotech review meet

IMPHAL | Aug 29

The 7th Review and Monitoring cum Mentoring Meeting of the department of biotechnology (DBT), sponsored by Biotech Hubs in Northeastern India will be held during August 30-31at Hotel Imphal.

This high level conclave will be an enabling forum for exchange of ideas among DBT officials and experts, and coordinators of 6 state level and 120 institutional biotech hubs.  The meet will also monitor the progress made by these hubs so far and suggest plans for future course of action.

The biotech hubs scheme of DBT is aimed at developing skilled and trained manpower, establishing biotech labs in universities and colleges in NER and stimulating locally relevant biotech research.

Manipur has one state level and 26 institutional level biotech hubs, out of which six have been upgraded to advanced level biotech hubs recently. The chief minister N. Biren Singh, the vice-chancellor of Manipur University, Prof. Adya Prasad Pandey, Madhan Mohan, adviser, DBT, deans of Manipur University, B. Ravindran, former director, ILS, Bhubaneswar, and Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo, director, IBSD will attend the inaugural function of the summit on August 30 at 9 am. On this occasion, a proceeding incorporating the progress of 126 hubs would also be released.

Biotechnology is a powerful discipline that integrates biological sciences, engineering and social sciences. It would provide useful products for humankind such as drugs for resistant superbugs, biofuels as alternatives to fossil fuels, microbial strains as biologicals and biostimulants for stress-tolerant agriculture, probiotics for enhancing human health and ecorestoration solutions for sustainable ecological health.

Manipur and the rest of NE India falls in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot and is home to rare and endemic medicinal plants, endangered animal species, and underexplored microbial wealth.