India strengthening pandemic preparedness: Nadda

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Thursday said that India's pandemic preparedness architecture is being strengthened, and joint outbreak investigations and the development of medical countermeasures are underway.

Nadda, who is also the chairperson of the executive steering committee on One Health, was delivering a video message during the inauguration of the National One Health Mission Assembly 2025 at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Hall here.

Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog; Dr Ajay K Sood, Chairperson, Scientific Steering Committee on One Health and Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, and Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research, were also present.

The theme of the two-day event is 'Translating Knowledge to Practice --“ One Earth, One Health, One Future'.

Nadda underlined the timeliness of the theme, noting that it reflects the country's growing commitment to holistic health and its alignment with global priorities.

"One Earth, One Health, One Future is not just a theme, it is the foundation of our approach to strengthening health security and enhancing preparedness against future pandemics," he said.

Highlighting India's progress in health research and innovation over the past decade, the Union health minister stated that India has emerged as a major global player in pharmaceuticals and medical science.

He recalled the country's achievements in vaccine development, including indigenous COVID-19 vaccines such as Covaxin, Covishield, Corbevax and the world's first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine. "India developed and supplied vaccines to more than a hundred countries, reaffirming our role as a trusted global partner," he noted.

Nadda emphasised that India has also made strong advances in next-generation vaccine platforms -- including mRNA, DNA, viral vectors and biosimilars -- that have strengthened the nation's capacity for rapid response to emerging health threats.

Speaking about India's strides in diagnostics, Nadda said, "In the diagnostics sector, India has become an innovation hub, powered by our talented researchers, growing start-up ecosystem and strong technological capabilities. Solutions like TrueNat, PathoDetect and CRISPR-based tests have made diagnostics faster, more accurate and more accessible." He also highlighted the role of INSACOG in genomic surveillance and how platforms such as COWIN showcased India's ability to build high-quality, population-scale digital health systems.

Referring to the National One Health Mission, Nadda described it as one of India's most significant steps towards pandemic preparedness.

The mission integrates 16 different Central and state ministries or departments that deal with human health, animal health, environment, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence, earth sciences, space sciences and disaster management.

"The National One Health Mission is a unique example of whole-of-government and whole-of-society collaboration. For the first time, we have brought together all relevant ministries and departments to work collectively for the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment," Nadda stated.

The Union minister expressed satisfaction that the mission has already begun implementing key activities, including integrated surveillance across slaughterhouses, bird sanctuaries, zoos and waste water systems in major cities to monitor antimicrobial resistance and infectious pathogens.

"Joint outbreak investigations and the development of medical countermeasures are underway, strengthening our pandemic preparedness architecture," he said.

Nadda further highlighted the establishment of a national network of 23 BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories under the mission.

"These high-containment labs are our first line of defence against emerging or mutating pathogens. They will significantly enhance our ability to detect threats early and respond swiftly," he said.

The minister emphasised that the One Health approach will enable early warning systems for epidemics and pandemics, support integrated interventions and help India remain future-ready. PTI PLB RUK RUK