Govt announced Birsa Munda prize for development of drug for Sickle Cell disease

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Science, Delhi, will undertake a competition for drug development for the treatment of sickle cell disease, which disproportionately affects India’s tribal populations. The selected proposal will be funded up to Rs 10 cores. Minister of State Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey made this announcement while addressing a gathering in AIIMS, New Delhi, on the occasion of World Sickle cell Day on June 19, 2025. He said that all efforts would be made to eradicate sickle cell disease from the country by the end of 2047. He stated that there would be no dearth of funds in eliminating the dreaded disease Sickle cell anaemia. The Minister also interacted with patients of sickle cell anaemia and their families and assured them of all support from Central and state governments. Uikey further assured them about the free availability of all medicines associated with the management of the disease.
Vibhu Nayar,Secretary to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, said that in order to provide effective health care services for the patients who have been suffering of sickle cell & anemia, the government of India has lunched Centers of competence (CoC) in 15 tertiary care hospitals, including AIIMS across the country. He said that it would be functional by the end of November this year and patients would get diagnostic as well as referral facilities soon. These CoCs provide state of the art diagnostic and management of SCD, including ante-natal diagnosis. Nayar informed that in the field of medicine we have developed lot of things, it indicates that in India there is no dearth of mind space, keeping in view this facts government of India proposes to set up a Drug Development prize that could be from Rs 1 core to 10 core.