Union Minister Jitendra Singh tells CSIR, science-related departments to explore S&T innovations

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday asked the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and all science-related departments to explore science and technology innovations needed in the next 10 years to make India globally competitive.

At CSIR’s 80th Foundation Day, Singh said CSIR, the biotechnology, and science and technology departments, and the Ministry of Earth Sciences along with other science ministries can transform India in the next 25 years as the entire progress will remain heavily dependent on technology.

When India celebrates 100 years of Independence, it should be a global leader in matters ranging from defence to economics with strong scientific and technological inputs, the Union Science and Technology minister said.

According to an official statement, Jitendra Singh asked CSIR and all science departments to explore science and technology innovations needed in the next 10 years to make India globally competitive.

“We should not restrict our ambition to be the best in India but be the best in the world as our country is blessed with the demographic dividend of youth. They can take up any challenge with the right training and motivation,” the minister said.

Lauding the CSIR for its 80-year journey, he said it is heartening to see the evolution of CSIR from developing India’s first indelible ink used in elections to providing Indian Standard Time using atomic clocks.

Starting with the development of the Swaraj tractor to the recent test flying of two-seater HANSA-NG aircraft is a testament to the growth of CSIR in the last eight decades, Singh said.

Referring to CSIR’s Aroma Mission to cultivate important medicinal and aromatic plants, he said it made a difference in the lives of thousands of farmers across India and especially in Kashmir.

The mission introduced a superior variety of lavender in Kashmir and today a purple revolution is underway there, the Union minister said, adding CSIR has introduced Heena cultivation in India and saffron cultivation in non-traditional areas.

Underlining that the legacy of CSIR is built on the cumulative contributions of its many national laboratories and institutes, Singh said each laboratory is unique and specialising in as diverse areas as genomics to geology, material technology to microbial technology and food to fuel.