CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday proposed a ₹550-crore project to the central government for setting up an advanced virology centre in the state, offering free land for the same.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narender Modi, the CM requested him to direct the Union health ministry to set up the proposed centre, which would focus on addressing regional, national and global needs in virology, diagnostic, research and therapeutic evaluations to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amarinder said that the sudden onset of the viral illness and its acquiring pandemic proportions in a matter of only two months have drawn attention towards the need to devote greater resources on cutting-edge research in the field of virology. At present, the National Institute of Virology in Pune is the only institution in the country capable of providing a well-coordinated medical and public health response to such an emergency, he added.
In the present scenario, wherein the world is in the grip of the highly infectious novel coronavirus, an advanced virology centre as a regional reference laboratory for virus diagnosis and research is much required, the CM stressed.
The state government has thus proposed a specialised centre in Medicity, New Chandigarh, which would be well-placed to serve the interests of the northwestern region given Chandigarh’s international air connectivity, the Capt said.
{{/usCountry}}The state government has thus proposed a specialised centre in Medicity, New Chandigarh, which would be well-placed to serve the interests of the northwestern region given Chandigarh’s international air connectivity, the Capt said.
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