Guru Ghasidas University, being the only central university in Chhattisgarh, is completely dedicated to the eradication of sickle cell and anemia. Under this, an in-depth scientific study of the traditional medicines used by the local Baiga community will be conducted. The objective of this research is to prepare effective medicines based on traditional herbs, which will be scientifically proven and certified.
Vaidyas of the tribal communities of Chhattisgarh, especially the Baiga community, have been treating serious diseases like sickle cell and anemia in traditional ways through their herbs. Now CU (Guru Ghasidas Central University), Bilaspur is going to do the work of recognizing and verifying this medical system.
On the initiative of CU, selected scientists and researchers from across the country will reach here and do in-depth research on the entire process from herbs to treatment. For this high level research, the university has received a grant of Rs 8.57 crore from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
Grant received under PURSE program
This grant has been provided under the PERS (Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence) Program 2024. Under this, research will be done on the design, development and validity of traditional medicines used in the treatment of sickle cell disease. Guru Ghasidas University is one of the nine institutions in the country which has received this grant under the PERS programme.
This project will prove to be a milestone in the field of health and research in the entire region in the coming four years. Scientists and researchers from across the country will be able to come here and do research work. Vice Chancellor Prof. Alok Kumar Chakrawal called it a historic occasion for the university.
Big role of Vaidyas of Baiga community
According to Vice Chancellor Prof. Chakrawal, through this project the university will find out the prevalence of sickle cell disease in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh. Along with this, the herbs used by the physicians of Baiga community will be examined and their medicinal properties will be identified. Also their validity will be certified.
Goals for sickle cell eradication
This initiative will be helpful in achieving the goal of eliminating sickle cell in collaboration with the Health Department of Chhattisgarh and the National Health Mission. The Government of India has set a target of eliminating sickle cell anemia by the year 2047 and this project will prove to be an important step towards that goal.
Research with modern equipment
The grant amount will be used to purchase modern equipment for research. These include state-of-the-art equipment like 400 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), DNA Sequencer, FTIR, HPLC, Accelerated Solvent Extractor. These tools will increase the accuracy and quality of research, allowing effective pharmaceutical solutions to be developed.
Contribution will increase at international level
This initiative of Guru Ghasidas University can prove to be a boon not only for Chhattisgarh but also for other tribal groups of the country and the world. Sickle cell anemia is a serious problem in tribal dominated areas and the focus of this project is to diagnose and manage this disease in those communities.
Key Partners of the Project
The coordinator of this project is Prof. Santosh Kumar Prajapati (Department of Botany), Co-Coordinator Prof. LVKS Bhaskar (Department of Zoology) and Dr. Jai Singh (Department of Pure and Applied Physics). The objective of this four-year project is to bring innovation in research and to preserve and promote local traditional medical systems.
