North zone unit of ICMR’s National Institute of Virology to be set up in Jammu at cost of Rs 45 crore

New Delhi: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is all set to host the North Zone Unit of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV). The institute is being set up in Jagti, situated in the Nagrota area of Jammu.

The North Zone NIV Unit is poised to feature state-of-the-art biosafety level 2 and 3 laboratories, facilitating diagnostic testing support, surveillance, and research.

Being established at an estimated cost of Rs 45 crore, the upcoming institute comes under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).

The primary objective of the institute is to fortify the public health infrastructure comprehensively, enabling a robust response to future pandemics and outbreaks.

The North Zone Unit is poised to revolutionize diagnostic capabilities, obviating the need to dispatch samples to external laboratories. Simultaneously, the introduction of novel postgraduate streams promises to be a boon for aspiring medical professionals.