National Institute of Virology to come up in J&K

An initiative was taken to establish the regional National Institute of Virology (NIV) for the north zone in Chandigarh to concentrate more on pandemic research. However, it would be set up in Jammu due to a land-related dispute.

According to a report of the department-related parliamentary standing committee on Health & Family Welfare, "This project is to be shifted to Jammu due to land dispute at Chandigarh."

The report was tabled in the Parliament on March 15, 2023. According to Kashmir Observer, the location for Jammu NIV is being finalized. “Jammu UT authority has identified one area, which was declared unsuitable by a committee. Now Jammu UT has proposed three more sites. ICMR experts team is scheduled to visit Jammu shortly,” the report states.

Three other locations for NIVs have been finalized except Jammu. However, the further development of the Jammu project can only be ascertained after the visit of ICMR. The other three NIVs are being established at Dibrugarh, Bengaluru and Jabalpur.

The two existing Apex Institutes for viral investigations and research in the country are ICMR’s National Institute of Virology at Pune, Maharashtra and its three field stations at Bangalore (Karnataka), Gorakhpur (U.P.) and Alappuzha (Kerala) and National Centre for Diseases Control, Delhi under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

A scheme was approved by the Government in 2013-14 for 12th Plan namely, “Establishment of a Network of Laboratories for Managing Epidemics and Natural Calamities” for establishment of 10 Regional Labs, 30 State Level Labs and 120 Medical College Level Labs in the country, in a phased manner. Ever since, the government has been proposing different ideas to contribute more in Virology and viral infection based research.