(a) whether the Indian Council of Medical Research has failed to completed a project of immense relevance to national security even after more than 2 decades;
(b) if so, whether the project conceived in June 1997 and after an expenditure of about 13 crores is still incomplete; and
(c) if so, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. C.P. THAKUR)
(a) to (c) There has been tremendous technological advances in setting up bio-safety laboratories, since the original plan of Microbial Containment Complex (MCC) was conceptualized by ICMR in 1977. Bio-safety level 1 and 2 safeguards are already available in National Institute of Virology, Pune to Protect the workers from Laboratory infections. It is now proposed to set up a state of art BSL-3 Laboratory in the Microbial Containment Complex (MCC) of NIV, Pune for handling viruses belonging to P 3 and P 4 categories and the Laboratory is likely to be ready approximately in 18 months.