About Longevity India Initiative | Ias Banenge

Context:

Recently, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) launched the Longevity India Initiative.

Relevance:

Facts for Prelims

The Longevity India Initiative is a project aimed at extending the human ‘health span’ and addressing challenges related to ageing.

Focus on Health Span Extension: The initiative aims to prolong the period of healthy living and address age-related health issues.
Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration: It involves collaboration among researchers from various departments at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), clinicians, industry partners, philanthropists, and civil society.
Clinical Study: A large-scale clinical study is underway as part of the initiative, focusing on ageing-related research and interventions.
Research Objectives: The initiative emphasizes both fundamental and applied research to deepen the understanding of ageing and develop solutions to enhance quality of life.
Intervention Development: Leveraging advanced research, the initiative aims to develop interventions for more effective management of age-related diseases, with a focus on promoting healthy ageing throughout India.
Funding Support: Initial grant funding for the initiative has been provided by Prashanth Prakash, Founding Partner of Accel India.

Growing Elderly Population: With India’s elderly population projected to reach 347 million by 2050, the initiative addresses the urgent need to address ageing-related challenges.
Technological Solutions: It highlights the importance of leveraging technology to provide accessible geriatric healthcare, support the silver economy, and invest in digital systems that cater to ageing populations.