Bhubaneswar, Aug. 25: Orissa will soon have its own DNA testing centre.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up the state’s first DNA centre was signed between the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad, the Institute of Life Science (ILS), Bhubaneswar, and the government of Orissa here on August 18.

According to the memorandum of understanding, the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics will set up a DNA testing laboratory on the premises of the Institute of Life Science, Bhubaneswar.

The Institute of Life Science will provide its infrastructure for running the centre. The memorandum of understanding will encourage the use of DNA profiling and other forensic and scientific methods in investigation and prosecution of criminal cases for delivering justice.

At the same time, it will demonstrate the value of technology for the criminal delivery system.

The DNA fingerprinting services will be offered free of cost to the law enforcement and crime investing agencies of Orissa as well as to bodies such as Orissa Human Rights Commission and State Women’s Commission.

The facility will be made fully functional within six months and to start with, the laboratory will handle up to 200 cases every year.

The new centre will be most beneficial to the state police especially in cracking cases relating to murder, rape, paternity, maternity, child swapping, body identification, and kidney transplantation.

As of now, Orissa police has no facility for DNA testing and DNA fingerprinting. DNA samples used to be sent to laboratories in Bengal, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

“This new DNA testing centre will benefit the Orissa police for sure. The technology will mainly assist in identification of unidentified deadbodies. It will also save time in investigation procedures,” said S.N. Tiwary, former inspector general of police.

Both the CDFD and the ILS are autonomous institutes under the department of biotechnology, ministry of Science and technology, government Of India.