Expert group proposes four biotech parks

Thursday, 09 December 2004, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: An expert group has recommended the setting up of biotech parks in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab, based on resource availability, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said here Thursday. The expert group, however, did not recommend proposals from Tamil Nadu and Haryana for want of focused objectives and linkages with academic institutions and industries in the region, the minister told the Rajya Sabha. In Karnataka, Sibal said, the proposal is for a biotech incubation centre and a common instrumentation unit in Bangalore, while in Punjab, a common extraction unit for medicinal plants and food-testing facility is planned in Chandigarh. Among the proposals for Himachal Pradesh is a tissue culture hardening facility, cultivation of aromatic plants using biotechnological interventions, farming of high-value medicinal plants and post-harvest management and processing at Solan. Kochi in Kerala has been recommended for a bio-processing and scale-up facility, micro-propagation unit, an analytical laboratory and a design engineering and support centre, the minister said in a written reply. "The level of funding for these proposals would be based upon the approval of Planning Commission and availability of funds," he added.
Source: IANS
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