After Modi visit, India-US to collaborate in vaccines, parks

Besides giving a much-needed boost to the bilateral strategic partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US also saw the two countries agreeing to collaborate in developing affordable vaccines to combat dengue, malaria, and tuberculosis and to manage wildlife parks in India, like Corbett, Gir and Panna.

Modi's visit, which is being seen as a "game changer" and set to put India-US ties "on an altogether new and high trajectory, saw him meeting with around 100 people during his five-day visit to the US - New York and Washington - from Sep 26-30, said an official source Saturday.

During the US visit, Modi "brought sharp focus and a direct connection between his domestic developmental priorities and foreign policy" with the aim of promoting India's development.

Among their collaborations agreed upon during the visit is that both countries are to launch a combined effort to develop affordable vaccines for dengue, malaria, and tuberculosis.

This will be done through India's ministry of health and family welfare and the department of biotechnology and the US' National Institutes of Health, said the source.

Both countries are to also collaborate in the field of fighting cancer. The US National Cancer Institute has agreed to collaborate to help develop the upcoming National Cancer Institute at the Jhajjar (Haryana) campus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

To be located in Badhsa village in Jhajjar, the institute is slated to have over 700 beds for different facilities like surgical oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, anaesthesia and palliative care and nuclear medicine and will also have the first of its kind tissue repository in India.

Both countries are to also partner in developing India's National Parks.

India's Wildlife Research Institute and the US National Parks Service and other institutions will collaborate and exchange experiences on managing national parks.

This would include collaboration in terms of conservation, facilitation of visitors, professional/academic exchanges, research, training and outreach for activities, which would help the parks be raised to world standards, said the source.

The parks being considered for the collaboration include Corbett, Panna, Tadoba, Bandipur and Gir.