• Renowned scientist Pushpa Mitra Bhargava, the founder director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) Hyderabad, passed away.
• Bhargava is a pioneer in the field of biotechnology in the country and he was instrumental in setting up a separate department for biotechnology (DBT) in the Union Ministry of Science and Technology in the 1970.
• In 2005, he initiated and played a major role in drafting the Indian Council for Medical Research’s (ICMR) national guidelines for accreditation, supervision and regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) clinics in India.