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?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b) Only two

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Dr. Lalji Singh is indeed known as the Father of DNA Fingerprinting in India.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: While he developed the indigenous technique, Sir Alec Jeffreys in the UK is credited with the global invention of DNA fingerprinting in 1984. Dr. Singh developed his probe (Bkm probe) around the same era but Jeffreys is recognized as the primary inventor.
• Statement 3 is correct: He founded LaCONES (Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species) and used DNA techniques for wildlife forensics and conservation.
• He served as the Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).
• His work on the Bkm (Banded Krait minor) probe was pivotal for Indian forensics.

• Dr. Lalji Singh also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
• He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004 for his contributions to science.

• Incorrect because both Statement 1 and Statement 3 are correct.

• Incorrect because the global invention of DNA fingerprinting is attributed to Alec Jeffreys, not Dr. Lalji Singh independently.

• Incorrect because Dr. Singh's legacy in Indian science is undisputed.