- Why in news
- On 6 February 2026, the Health Minister of State told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that GenomeIndia has completed a whole genome sequencing (WGS) database of over 10,000 Indians. He also listed other steps for personalised medicine.
- What it is
- GenomeIndia is a national project funded by the Department of Biotechnology to build a reference database of Indian genomes. It sequences whole genomes of people from varied population groups. The data is meant to support research on disease, diagnostics and treatment suited to Indians.
- Scale of GenomeIndia
- The project has completed a whole genome sequencing database of over 10,000 individuals from all major population groups in India.
- Funding body
- GenomeIndia is funded by the Department of Biotechnology.
- NIDAN Kendras
- NIDAN stands for National Inherited Disorders Administration Kendras. They are a component of DBT's UMMID initiative and offer prenatal testing, newborn screening and genetic counselling.
- BioE3 Precision Biotherapeutics
- Under the BioE3 Policy, DBT has named Precision Biotherapeutics as a thematic area, supporting indigenous mRNA therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies and cell and gene therapies.
- InTGS
- The Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium aims to catalogue drug resistance mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using genomics and AI.
Don’t confuse with Whole genome sequencing vs exome sequencing: WGS reads the entire DNA of a person. Exome sequencing reads only the protein-coding regions.
Don’t confuse with Genome vs phenome: The genome is the full set of an organism's DNA. The phenome is the set of observable traits and clinical features. Phenome India links health and lifestyle data to genomic data.
Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- A reference database of Indian genomes can improve disease prediction, diagnosis and drug choice for Indian populations.
- Genomic surveillance and newborn screening can enable early detection and control of TB and inherited disorders.
Problems
- Genomic data raises privacy, consent and misuse concerns, and needs strong data protection and ethical oversight.
- Access to precision diagnostics and therapies is costly and uneven across regions and income groups.
Way forward
- Enforce clear data governance for biobanks and genomic data, building on ICMR's ethical guidelines.
- Expand affordable testing through public programmes and local manufacturing of biotherapeutics.
Put in your answer
GenomeIndia: Whole genome database of over 10,000 Indians from all major population groups, funded by DBT.
DIAMOnDS scheme: The DHR-ICMR scheme gives free advanced molecular oncology diagnostics to poor lung and breast cancer patients through 25 centres.
ICMR ethical guidelines: ICMR has issued national ethical guidelines on biomedical research, biobanking and genomic data use.
- 2018Mains GS3 · Q15Why biotechnology activity in India is high and how it benefits biopharma.
- 2021Mains GS3 · Q15Applied biotechnology achievements and how they uplift poorer sections of society.
- 2024Mains GS3 · Q5Intellectual property rights over life materials and reasons for poor commercialization in India.
- 2026Prelims Q48Which statements about GenomeIndia Project are correct regarding its funding and aim?
- 2017Prelims Q45How genome sequencing can be used in Indian agriculture in the immediate future.
- 2020Prelims Q44Which statements on human genome editing and embryo genetic changes are correct?
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting biotech topic: 10,000+ genomes sequenced, Phenome India biobank. Science and tech is 17% of Prelims, but release is a mixed list.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.