India / Rajasthan become first state to start state level genome sequencing lab

Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to start genome sequencing lab at the state level which has been set up at SMS Medical College, Jaipur. Health Minister Raghu Sharma said that this lab has been started for the prevention of Covid-19, so that information about the variants circulating in the state will be available.

Vikrant Shekhawat : Jun 25, 2021, 04:17 PM
Jaipur: Facility for genome sequencing has been started at the SMS Medical College in Jaipur for identifying Covid variants, the Rajasthan government announced on Thursday.

With this, Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to have a facility for complete genome sequencing at the state level, Health Minister Raghu Sharma said.

He informed that in view of Covid prevention, the genome sequencing facility has been made available in the state at a cost of ₹ 1 crore.

"Genome sequencing will provide information about new variants of the virus," Mr Sharma said.

He said that till now, samples from the state were being sent for genome sequencing to the IGIB Lab in Delhi.