Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday launched the first-of-its-kind BioNEST Incubator at North India’s first Industrial Biotechnology Park at Ghatti in the Kathua district of J&K.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that this is a day that Kathua and the entire Jammu region will remember as the beginning of a new era of scientific enterprise and economic transformation.
In his address at the largely attended event, organised by CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the facility will provide an exposure to the youth of the region for developing a new outlook.
He said that earlier, people were not aware of the concept of incubation and the Biotech park. He said that in order to fully appreciate the potential of an incubation centre in Kathua, it is important to understand the need and idea behind the centre. In 2014, many such centres started developing all over India, and new startups were coming up. This led to changing the outlook of the youth, but in this region, people were still dependent on government jobs.
The Minister recalled that in 2014, there were 10 such centres in India, and the Bio Tech park at Kathua was the 11th one, the foundation of which was laid in 2014-15.
Dr Jitendra Singh added, ”With the establishment of NEST at Kathua, we are becoming a part of a big ecosystem that will be the driver of growth in the region in the coming years. With facilities like distillation, fermentation, plant tissue cultures, genetic process and various platforms and laboratories, the Centre will have the capacity for incubating 25 startups every year.”
He predicted that in the coming years, growth will be driven by areas that are unexplored and sectors that are untapped. This makes the Biotech plant at Kathua the natural leader of economic growth for the region since the biotechnology sector has great potential in the coming years, and the Himalayan region is yet unexplored — making the natural resources in the region the best option for investment and career choice for the youth. He said that this facility serves as a gateway for innovation not only from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh but also from neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
The Minister further revealed that six startups have been enrolled today and will receive proper training and incubation support from the facility at IBTP Kathua. Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted that there are rich bio-resources, youth, and opportunities in this region.
Dr Jitendra Singh complimented the Department of Biotechnology, under the leadership of the Secretary DBT, and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) for providing the funds to build the infrastructure here. He also appreciated the CSIR-IIIM team for mentoring the project and urged for a synergy between the Central government, state institutions, and research organisations, thus exemplifying the spirit of cooperative federalism.