Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Thursday said that the ‘Cannabis Research Project’ of CSIR-IIIM Jammu is a first of its kind research project in India which has a great potential to produce export quality medicine for neuropathies, cancer and epilepsy.

Dr. Jitendra Singh was chairing a review meeting with the top officials of CSIR-IIIM and J&K UT Science and Technology Department.

He said, the signing of scientific agreement between CSIR-IIIM and IndusScan was historic not only for J&K but for the whole of India as it has the potential to produce those medicines which have to be imported from foreign countries. This kind of project will give an impetus for huge investment in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Singh added.

Appreciating CSIR-IIIM for this project, the minister said, CSIR-IIIM is the oldest scientific research institute in India with the history of discovering mint way back in the 1960s, the centre of purple revolution and now the Cannabis Research Project of CSIR-IIIM is going to make it more prestigious in terms of scientific research in India.

Dr. Jitendra Singh further said, for such a kind of important project, synergy between institutions like CSIR-IIIM, IIM, IIT, AIIMS etc. is imperative to look for various technicalities involved in it like the marketing strategies that can be done through IIM, clinical trials through AIIMS, technical support through IIT etc. as all these institutions are only situated in a radius of few kilometres in Jammu which is now the hub of education in India.

During the meeting, the Union minister also directed CSIR-IIIM, J&K DST and other stakeholders in this project to hold a workshop so that the challenges and issues involved in it can be redressed on the spot and the work on the project is not stalled but increased.

The meeting was attended by Director CSIR-IIIM, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Commissioner DST J&K, Sourabh Bhagat, Excise Commissioner J&K, Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Dr. Shakti Gupta, Director AIIMS Jammu, Dr. Shashi Sudan Sharma, Principal GMC Jammu and scientists of the IIIM.