Some of these schemes are also likely to be taken up in the Tenth Plan period with definite time schedules and milestones.

The union minister for science and technology, Murli Manohar Joshi is slated to preside over a meeting of secretaries of various scientific departments and director-generals of various scientific institutions in the country on Monday to give a final shape to the 21 projects identified under the mission. The secretary of the department of biotechnology, Dr Manju Sharma will be the secretary of the mission.

The mission has underscored the need for scientists to take up specific projects related to certain problems facing the country. The technological skills should be able tosolve at least some of the major problems confronting the human race. The food security has been accorded the top priority as it concerns the masses. As almost all departments are connected with the production of food in one way or the other, food security can be brought under one umbrella. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the finance minister, Yashwant Sinha and the Planning Commission has already given their consent to support this mission.

Apart from the food security, other identified projects are sustainable plant genetic resource management, landslide management and biodiversity characterisation, herbal product development, establishment of a National Botanical Garden at Noida both for recreation and research, nuclear medicine, development of new generation vaccines including cholera vaccine, mirror site for genomic research, design, development, fabrication and airworthiness testing of light transport aircraft, language computing, medicinal electronics, tapping ocean thermal energy, aprogramme on thalassemia, rheumatic fever, technology for visually handicapped and development of tele medicines.

In the programme for food security, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), department of biotechnology, departments of agriculture and animal husbandry, department of ocean development, department of space, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and ministry of science and technology will put in their best efforts to make it a success.

Over the last 12,000 years of evolution of agricultural practices, the science and technology inputs have only succeeded in evolving just about 10 per cent of the genetic stock found in the wild into palatable and higher yielding cereals, fruits and vegetables.

Food security demands that remaining 90 per cent of stock should be preserved, firstly for developing additional higher yielding varieties to feed the increasing population and secondly to protect and provide immunity to existing higher yielding varieties when they come underattack from insects, pests and epidemics. For example tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) probably could not be grown as a commercial crop without wild genes. Today, almost all varieties get their resistance to Fusarium wilt from the wild Peruvian tomato (L.pimpinellifolium). Present day wheat (T.aeslivum) has originated from ancient and wild grass namely T.monococcum X Aegllopus Perlloides. The genes from the wild goalgrass Aegllopsventricosa provide wheat mild resistance to the leaf disease eye spot and the crop plant, Tricum monococcum is a source of rust resistance.

Rice originated in India along southern and northern slopes of Himalayas about 15,000 years ago. Almost 1,20,000 cultivars are estimated exhibiting great diversity in the region of Assam, Meghalaya to mountain ranges of south-west China and south-east Asia. Until recently 30,000 rice varieties were being grown by Indian farmers which are feared to be reduced to just 50 by the year 2000. Nevertheless, India has made significant contributionsthrough the development of resistant cultivator IR-36 and also by saving rice crop against Grassy Stunt Virus and grasshopper by providing immunity through Oryza nivara and Pitambi rice (Silent Valley). The continuous dwindling of the rice varieties is a cause of concern and needs to be arrested.

Realising the importance of genetic stock for food security, the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources of ICAR has long been identifying areas rich in biodiversity and gene pool for cereals, fruits and vegetables. Notwithstanding ban on export of 29 endangered medicinal plants, there is a need to protect the country's rich heritage of herbs, shrubs and medicinal plants. Bio-banks created have seed as well as tissue samples of the requisite crops. There is, however, still need to establish centres for in-situ as well as ex-situ conservation of biodiversity especially in the wake of the International Convention on Biodiversity to which India is a signatory. Recombinant DNA safety guidelines for personnel andenvironmental safety in the use of genetically manipulated organisms in research, manufacture and applications have been evolved. Declaration of eco-sensitive zones, introduction of bilogical diversity legislation and other initiatives are expected to help conserve and sustain use of biological resources.