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- India and Italy have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen strategic cooperation across vital sectors such as trade, defence, clean energy, and advanced technology.
- This was emphasized during an April 2025 meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani. Central to their discussions was the Joint Strategic Action Plan (JSAP) 2025–2029, introduced by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni in November 2024, which outlines a roadmap for diversifying bilateral ties.
- Additionally, both nations support the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC), a key infrastructure initiative enhancing connectivity between India, the Middle East, and Europe.
- Launched at the 2023 G20 Summit, IMEEC is seen as a strategic counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It includes Eastern and Northern corridors linking India to Europe via the Gulf.
- India and Italy also seek greater collaboration in AI, cybersecurity, space, biofuels, higher education, and youth mobility.
- Researchers at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, have developed an indigenous real-time LAMP (rt-LAMP) assay for early and accurate detection of Tuberculosis (TB).
- This molecular diagnostic tool offers high sensitivity, detecting as few as 10 DNA copies per microlitre, and delivers results within 10–20 minutes.
- Unlike RT-PCR, it operates at a constant temperature and uses six primers, enhancing speed and specificity.
- A novel fluorescent dye (Syto 16) eliminates false negatives, a common limitation in earlier LAMP tests.
- The rt-LAMP assay has been licensed for production, approved by the CDSCO, and is under evaluation by ICMR and the WHO’s HTAP. This innovation is significant for India’s TB control efforts, especially as 79% of presumptive cases are still diagnosed via less reliable smear microscopy.
- The rt-LAMP assay offers a cost-effective, rapid, and scalable solution aligned with India’s National TB Elimination Programme, potentially transforming diagnostic coverage and early detection.