Odia scientist Debasisa Mohanty appointed as Director of NII

Odia scientist Debasis Mohanty was appointed as the Director of National Institute of Immunology (NII).

Odia scientist Debasisa Mohanty appointed as Director of NII

Odia scientist Debasis Mohanty was appointed as the Director of National Institute of Immunology (NII). Currently, he is working as a staff scientist at NII. The appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, and provision has been made for the tenure of the post from the date of assumption of charge till the age of his retirement. The post fell vacant after Rajesh Verma, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, was appointed as Secretary to President Draupadi Murmu on August 18.

About National Institute of Immunology:

· National Institute of Immunology (NII) is an autonomous research institute under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for research in immunology at New Delhi.

· NII was established on 24 June 1981, with Prof. MGK Menon as the Chairman of its Governing Body.

· It has its origins in the ICMR-WHO Research and Training Center in Immunology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, which merged with the NII in 1982.

· However, NII has its Honorary Director Prof. G. P. Work continued from Talwar's AIIMS laboratory until its new building was constructed on the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1983. G. P. Talwar is the founder and director of this organization. The first vaccine against leprosy in India was developed by NII and was named Mycobacterium indicus strain.