New Delhi Jan 13 (KNS) ; In a significant stride towards bolstering the nation’s bio-security and health infrastructure, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced the dawn of a new era for India’s health sector.
Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a BSL-4 (Biosafety Level-4) Bio-Containment Facility at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), Shah as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) stated that this initiative marks a transformative step in national health security, driven by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The state-of-the-art facility, being established at a cost of ?362 crore and spanning 11,000 square metres, will be the country’s second BSL-4 laboratory after the National Institute of Virology in Pune. Significantly, it is the first such high-containment lab to be built by a state government. “This will emerge as a strong protective shield for the health sector of the entire country,” Shah declared, emphasizing that it translates the Prime Minister’s directive that science must be a foundational pillar of national development, not confined to research alone.
The facility will enable indigenous, cutting-edge research on the most dangerous and infectious pathogens in a completely secure environment. This will end India’s reliance on foreign laboratories for testing high-risk virus samples, accelerating diagnostics and fostering self-reliance. “Our scientists will no longer have to depend on foreign countries. Ending this dependence will speed up testing and make us atmanirbhar (self-reliant),” the Home Minister said.
The facility’s design, informed by global best practices, will include advanced provisions to study zoonotic diseases—ailments transmitted from animals to humans—which account for 60-70% of emerging infectious diseases. This aligns with India’s launch of the ‘One Health Mission’ to ensure integrated safety for humans, animals, and the environment.
Shah presented a decade of transformative data: India’s bio-economy has surged from $10 billion in 2014 to $166 billion in 2024. Biotechnology startups have multiplied from under 500 to over 10,000, patent filings have jumped from 125 to 1,300 annually, and private investment has skyrocketed from ?
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel10 crore to ?7,000 crore. “A 17-fold growth in 10 years shows our youth and entrepreneurs can achieve monumental success with government support and infrastructure,” he said.
Shah traced Gujarat’s leadership in biotechnology to the vision of then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi two decades ago, which led to Asia’s first dedicated biotechnology university. “Today, Gujarat ranks among the top five states in biotech and, with this BSL-4 facility, will claim the top position,” he stated. The state’s biotechnology policy aims to attract ?20,000 crore in investment and create one lakh jobs.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Home Minister lauded India’s response. “When our cases were below 300 and testing was nascent, the Prime Minister had already tasked teams with vaccine development,” he recalled. The result was the development of indigenous vaccines, the successful inoculation of 1.4 billion citizens, and India becoming a global supplier of vaccines to over 70 nations. “We were first in development, first in administration, and first in helping the world,” Shah asserted.
The Minister also sounded a warning on the silent crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), calling it a “major crisis” and a “silent disaster” that threatens future generations. He stressed the need for a clear roadmap, timely treatment, and public awareness to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics.
In a powerful closing, Shah juxtaposed the timeless resilience of heritage with the forward march of science. He referenced the Prime Minister’s celebration of the ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv’ at the ancient Somnath temple—a symbol of civilizational endurance—alongside the launch of this pinnacle of modern science. “Some wanted to forget heritage in the name of science, but the last 11 years have proven both can go hand-in-hand. Yesterday, we inaugurated the Somnath Swabhimaan Parv; today, we lay the foundation for a BSL-4 lab. This shows heritage and science complement each other in India.”
The new BSL-4 facility in Gujarat stands poised not only to fortify the nation’s defenses against biological threats but also to propel India to the forefront of global biomedical research and innovation. (KNS)