Consider the following statements about Dr. Lalji Singh and his research:
- 1. Dr. Lalji Singh is widely regarded as the "Father of DNA Fingerprinting in India".
- 2. He independently invented the DNA fingerprinting technique in 1984, ahead of global developments.
- 3. His research extensively applied DNA fingerprinting to wildlife conservation, including ancestry studies on tiger, peacock and elephant populations in India.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
- AOnly one
- BOnly two
- CAll three
- DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: (b) Only two
Explanation
Two statements are correct.
- 1. Correct: Dr. Lalji Singh (1947–2017), of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, is called the father of DNA fingerprinting in India. He brought the technique into Indian forensic work, criminal cases and paternity disputes.
- 2. Wrong: DNA fingerprinting was invented by Alec Jeffreys in Britain in 1984. Lalji Singh developed and applied it in India, but he did not invent it.
- 3. Correct: his group also used DNA methods in wildlife conservation, to identify species and study endangered animals, and founded the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES).