The Central Government has approved Rs 828.66 crore for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for 10 key research programmes including formulation of a National Health Research Policy during the tenth Plan. The total budget includes an expenditure of Rs 226 crore, already incurred in the first two years of the X Plan. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given the approval on February 9, 2005 for the budget allocation.
The ICMR is planning to complement the National Health Policy by formulating a Health Research Policy for the country. Product development and evaluation, conducting fundamental and strategic research, harness and use new and emerging technologies to find solutions to health issue, operationalisation of research outcomes, data bases/registries, conducting studies related to environmental stability, tackling looming epidemic of life-style diseases, improving reproductive health and nutrition; and addressing health issues of underprivileged sections of society are the other key areas where ICMR is to focus during the coming years.
The approval of X Five Year Plan programme of ICMR will help in the augmentation of its own institution/research centres and undertaking focused research in the identified areas.