India has been designated the Vice-Chair of Good Laboratory Practice, GLP Working Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recognising the contribution of the Indian GLP programme.<br />'' <br />''Good Laboratory Practice is a quality system, which has been evolved by OECD to ensure that safety data generated on various chemicals like industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products and medical devices can be relied upon by regulatory authorities.<br />'' <br />''The Department of Science and Technology had established the National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority (NGCMA) with the approval of the Union Cabinet on April, 2002. NGCMA is the National body which grants GLP certification to test facilities conducting safety studies on new chemicals of the mentioned categories in accordance with OECD Council norms.<br />'' <br />''Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma said, India's leadership in GLP brings a greater recognition of the certification of quality for global businesses. He said, this is also a link in the chain to Atamnirbharta, which is to have structures and processes that are adhered to global standards.<br />