MillenniumPost
Nation

Many research projects stuck due to fund crunch: ICMR

The Union Health Ministry, which is struggling in streamlining its flagship schemes, has also been charged with stalling several research projects due to paucity of funds by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). 

In a veiled attack against the Ministry, ICMR Director General Soumya Swaminathan said a large number of biomedical research projects being undertaken by 32 scientific organisations across the country are  stuck due to shortage of funds.

“There have been budget cuts across the board in the ICMR and the premire research organisation’s all 32 institutes are suffering due to the lack of funds for upgrading infrastructure, maintaining equipment, buying consumables and conducting field studies,” Swaminathan said.

“We had asked for Rs 10,000 crores for our 12th five-year plan from 2012 to 2017, but we have received only 50 per cent of what we had requested. Many projects are not on track because of this,” she said.

Stressing on empowered of scientific organisations to become globally competitive, the ICMR DG said: “Resource crunch affects in different ways. A research institute should always have cutting edge technology. If we are working with outdated equipment and facility and if things are not available on time, we cannot be globally competitive.” She said managerial delays are affecting scientific innovations and experiments.

“It takes six months to get a reagent, while in West you get it in one day. By the time a scientist starts conducting an experiment, it is already done and published somewhere else. We cannot compete globally unless we change the way in which we use science,” she said.

The ICMR is funded by the Centre through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 
Next Story
Share it