UPSC Prelims 2026 Question: 

Which of the following statements with regard to Genome India Project is/are correct?

1. It is a part of the Human Genome Project. 
2. The project is funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India.
3. Its primary aim is to build a catalogue of genetic diversity of the Indian population. Select the answer using the code given below: 

Answer: 2 

Explanation:  

The GenomeIndia Project is an Indian population genomics initiative aimed at understanding genetic  variations across diverse communities in India. It seeks to create a reference database of Indian genomes,  which can support precision medicine, disease-risk assessment and better understanding of population-specific  genetic traits. 

• The Genome India Project is not a part of the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project  was an international project completed in 2003 to sequence and map the human genome, whereas  GenomeIndia is a separate Indian initiative focused on genomic diversity within the Indian population.  So, statement 1 is not correct. 
• The GenomeIndia Project is funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. It is  being implemented by a consortium of Indian institutions under DBT support. So, statement 2 is correct.
• The primary aim of the project is to build a catalogue of genetic diversity of the Indian population.  This is important because India has highly diverse population groups with distinct genetic variations that  may affect disease susceptibility and treatment response. So, statement 3 is correct. 

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.