Advisor PMO-India with Secretary DBT visits ICGEB New Delhi

March 30, 2024: a high-level team of officials from the Prime Minister's Office, Government of India, visit ICGEB New Delhi to discuss Biomanufacturing and Bioenergy initiatives.

A Team of officials from Prime Minister's Office, Government of India led by Shri Tarun Kapoor, Advisor and comprising of Shri Hari Ranjan Rao, Additional Secretary & Ms V. Lalithalakshmi, Director visited ICGEB New Delhi on 30^th March 2024. The team was accompanied by Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary DBT & Dr Alka Sharma, Scientist-H DBT. The team held discussion with Director ICGEB Prof Ramesh V. Sonti and the Group Leaders about research on Biomanufacturing and Bioenergy. The dignitaries also visited various research laboratories of ICGEB.

The discussions centred around the flowchart (or steps) involved in Biomanufacturing including Bioprospecting, Strain Isolation, Strain Improvement and Scaling-up. Highlights of the work at ICGEB on 2G biofuel production, and the way forward with regard to biorefineries were discussed. The team was also briefed about the ICGEB's work on Carbon capture by microalgae and biomass utilization.

In the field of infectious diseases, ICGEB has a major research focus on Tuberculosis. The team from PMO visited the National Tuberculosis Aerosol Challenge Facility (TACF) which has significantly contributed to enabling frontier research on TB in India.