"The sanitation and female foeticide are a national shame. We are trying to ensure our participation in programmes to help improve the situation. Reinventing the toilet programme can be a major entrepreneur opportunity which actually has been grabbed by many potential start-ups. Sanitation and secondary agriculture is an area where we have not dabbled," remarked Dr K Vijay Raghavan, secretary, DBT at the foundation day celebrations of the BIRAC held at New Delhi recently.

Dr Raghavan while making his point on the areas of potential mentioned, "Our opportunities lie in making reagents and pathways are already available here. The chemists, biologists, doctors and engineers should be in the list of talent pool availability. Energy and ecology are the areas that must be looked at. In self-criticism, animal research has not gone far. We need to look at that as well. Entrepreneurs in the clinical research finishing schools are also a good idea."

The secretary hinted that the DBT is actively looking forward to help  streamline regulatory issues. "We discussed with the planning commission about eight months ago and will have a regulatory science unit at the DBT. It will help in training the regulatory professionals. Once the elections are over, the announcements will be made to this effect," Dr Raghavan said.

Rightly so, the DBT secretary is of the opinion that while the political will is required to take certain decisions, it is the job of government departments to push what they feel is right.