Govt plans dept status for ICMR

‘‘There is not much happening in the field of medical research in the country. The only research is being done by the private sector and they too are focussed on biotechnology. There is a huge vacuum and this step is likely to fill the gap,’’ said Ramadoss. Upgrading ICMR, he stressed, would make clearance for research projects easier as they would not have to go through the various tiers of bureaucracy. ‘‘It will ensure that work is done fast,’’ he added.

The Health Ministry is likely to submit a draft proposal to the Finance Ministry and DOPT next month. Accordingly, the post of the director will be upgraded to that of a secretary and ICMR’s budgetary allocation will be increased. ‘‘The proposal is to increase the budget and make it comparable with research institutes like Indian Council for Agricultural Research,’’ said the minister.

The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The council’s research priorities have to coincide with priorities of national health such as control and management of communicable diseases, fertility control, maternal and child health. ‘‘We will be looking at collaboration with private partners and giving more incentives to scientists in the country. The proposal is to have patents in the name of the scientists,’’ Ramadoss said.

ICMR so far

• ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research and is among the oldest medical research bodies in the world

• Set up in 1911 as the Indian Research Fund Association, it was redesignated in 1949 as ICMR

• The total budget for ICMR is only Rs 200 crore while the grant from other sources is nearly Rs 250 crore

• Other research bodies likes ICRA and CSIR have a budget of Rs 1,600 crore and Rs 1,300 crore