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 Covid-19.
CSIR laboratories dealing with Covid-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 Covid-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 glucanate 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 and CSIR on drug recombination, Cadila for corona virus therapy and inactivated vaccine. Companies such as BHEL to develop electrostatic sprays and ventilators and BEL for the production of thermometers and oxygen units are collaborating with CSIR.
The work of digital and molecular surveillance is being done under the supervision of Dr. Anurag Aggarwal, Director of 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).
The work of development and formulation of medicine is performing under director of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Dr. S Chandrasekhar.
Responsibility for development of assistive devices used in hospitals, has been given to Dr. Jitendra Jadhav, Director of National Aerospace Laboratory.
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. Vishwakarma, Director of Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) has been made the coordinator of this workgroup.
