Summary:
Pune, Oct 28 (PTI) National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday said "deliberate weaponization of dangerous pathogens" was a matter of serious concern, and called for the need to build comprehensive national capabilities and bio-defence, bio-safety, and bio-security.
Expressing concern over the issue of climate change, he said disasters and pandemics are borderless threats that cannot be combated in isolation and there was a need to evolve strategies to maximise our gains and minimise the losses.
Speaking on "National security preparedness in the age of disasters and pandemics", at the Pune Dialogue on National Security (PDNS) 2021 organized by Pune International Centre here, Doval said the most enduring message of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change is that only the well-being of all will ensure the survival of all.
"The deliberate weaponization of dangerous pathogens is a serious concern.
This has heightened the need to build comprehensive national capabilities and bio-defence, bio-safety, and bio-security," he asserted.
The pandemic has further reinforced the need to predict threats and while biological research has legitimate scientific purposes, its dual-use application can be misused, he said.