DHAKA, Aug 12, 2020 (BSS) – The government has set up a ‘DNA Laboratory Management Department’ aiming at identifying criminals, parents of children and dead bodies of those who die in accidents or natural disasters accurately within the quickest possible time using the DNA technologies.
The government set up the department under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs as per the Section 20 of the Deoxyribonucleic Acid Act-2014, said an official handout here today, adding that a gazette notification in this regard was issued on August 9.
According to the handout, the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory, which was established under the multi-sectoral programme of the Women and Children Affairs Ministry to prevent the violence against women, is located at 10th floor of the Nuclear Medicine Building at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
It is now playing a vital role in helping to identify criminals, parents of children and dead bodies of those who die in any accident or natural disaster, DNA testing of intending people to go abroad and so on.
Besides, divisional DNA screening laboratories were set up at Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barishal, Khulna, Rangpur and Faridpur medical colleges. The divisional DNA screening laboratories collect samples from remote areas and send those to the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory, the handout said.