These universities would be equipped with modern biological tools to give thrust to seed and soil quality improvement, pest control and breeding programmes, Joshi told a parliamentary consultative committee on science and technology here.

He said biotechnology would be popularised in regional languages in the next three years and special efforts would be made to involve women in biotechnology programmes as part of human resource development. The concept of bio-villages where people are trained inapplications of biotechnology in agriculture, would be extended to all parts of the country. One such bio-village already exists in Gujarat. Biotechnology-based development in rural areas which hasbeen initiated in 30 places, would be extended further, accordingto an official release. Software and database would be developed for molecular modelling, structural biology studies and biodiversity conservation, Joshi, who chaired the meeting, said.

The minister said dbt has also prepared a number of repositories for important micro-organisms of industrial use and set up a wide network of bioinformatics centres to connect biologists and exchange scientific information.