The Case for an ICMR Centre in Southern Rajasthan: A Review with Focus on Udaipur, Salumbar and Pratapgarh

Southern Rajasthan, anchored by the Udaipur, Salumbar and Pratapgarh districts, is home to one of India's largest concentrations of Scheduled Tribe communities, chiefly the Bhil, Garasia, Meena and Damor. The region carries an overlapping burden of inherited blood disorders, undernutrition, anaemia, endemic and vector-borne infections, tuberculosis, rising non-communicable disease and occupational and environmental illness linked to mining and industry. Despite this, the region has no permanent institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The nearest ICMR institutes serve either the western desert (Jodhpur) or central India (Jabalpur), and most research in southern Rajasthan is carried out through short-term, project-based visits. This review summarises the available evidence on health needs in the region, examines the existing research landscape, and argues that a dedicated ICMR centre in the Udaipur–Salumbar–Pratapgarh belt would generate locally relevant evidence, strengthen the public health system, and support national elimination goals.