Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday wrote to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan requesting him to reconsider the decision to name the new campus of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) as Sri Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar Centre for Complex Diseases in Cancer and Viral Infection.
Vijayan also requested Vardhan to name the new campus after an eminent Indian scientist.
"It has been reported in the media that Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology's (RGCB) new campus in Thiruvananthapuram is proposed to be named as 'Sri Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar National Centre for Complex Diseases in Cancer and Viral Infection'. The Institute is a premier research institution and has been above political divides," Vijayan said in his letter to Vardhan.
The RGCB was initially run by the State government and was handed over to the government of India with the aim of developing it into a Centre achieving international standards in research and development, Vijayan stated.
"Keeping this in view, the Government of Kerala is of the opinion that the campus be named after some eminent Indian scientist of international repute instead of the proposed name," he added.
Vijayan has requested Union Health Minister to reconsider the decision, if it has already been taken, or not to contemplate such a decision, if already not taken.
"I hope that your Ministry will consider favourably our proposal to name the new campus after an eminent Indian scientist. This will keep up the reputation of the institution and help to avoid controversies in the public domain," Vijayan said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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