Post on 18-Mar-2018
SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2012 8
Cover S
tory
When multinational companiesheld monopoly over baby foodand refused to either set upplants in India or part with theprocess for manufacturing babyfood, scientists from CSIRdeveloped a formula formanufacturing baby food frombuffalo milk for the first time inthe world. This innovationultimately fueled the milkrevolution that has positionedthe country among the top milkproducers in the world.
Similarly, denied asupercomputer for researchpurposes, CSIR scientists tookup the challenge and came upwith India’s first parallelprocessing computer –Flosolver – that ultimately leadto the PARAMsupercomputers that couldcompete with the best in theworld at a fraction of the cost.
Whether it is the firstcomplete genome sequencing ofan Indian or development of thefirst indigenous two-seatertrainer aircraft, or for thatmatter, pioneering the DNAFingerprinting technology inthe country and reducingdrudgery in the kitchen byushering in convenience foods,the Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research (CSIR) hasalways been at the helm ofIndian science.
Initiatives and interventionsof the scientists of CSIR havegalvanized several sectorsranging from agriculture andpharmaceuticals tooceanography and aerospaceand even roads, buildings andthe environment. One of thelargest R&D networks in theworld, CSIR completes 70 yearsof service to science and to thenation.
Established on 26 September1942 with the primary objectiveof advancement of scientificknowledge and sustainedindustrial development of thecountry, CSIR has today growninto a well knit and action-oriented network of 38laboratories spread throughoutthe country with activitiesranging from molecular biologyto mining, medicinal plants tomechanical engineering,
mathematical modelling tometrology, chemicals to coal,aerospace to oceanography,genomics to drug design and soon.
CSIR has not onlyprovided to the nationinnumerable technologies andprocesses, it has also helpeddevelop a strong scientific basefor the country by creating apool of trained S&T manpowerthrough support to research, andby disseminating scientificinformation among the citizensof the country. In fact, themagazine you are holding inyour hands is also brought toyou by CSIR.
On this occasion, we takeour readers on a journey backin time and trace the foundation,rise, and myriad achievements ofthe CSIR....
CSIR@70
SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 20129
1941. And to administer the Fund the
Council of Scientif ic and Industr ial
Research was constituted in September
1942 as an autonomous body registered
under the Registration of Societies Act XXI
of 1860.
Bhatnagar, who continued to head
CSIR, had drawn up plans for science in
post-Independent India. In his view, to
meet the immediate requirements of the
country, there was a need to set up at
least eleven laboratories in the first phase,
in what came to be known as the
Bhatnagar Eleven: physical, chemical,
metallurgical, glass, fuel, building, road,
leather, electrochemical, drug and food
technology laboratories.
After India gained Independence,
the Bhatnagar Eleven received support
from C. Rajagopalachari, to whom
Bhatnagar reported. Besides, after the
CSIR governing body was reconstituted,
the Prime Minister became its President.
This was the start of a long-standing
relationship between Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru and S. S. Bhatnagar.
Soon, with Nehru’s unstinting support,
the Bhatnagar Eleven moved closer to
becoming a reality. At the first instance,
foundation stones for six national
laboratories were laid: National Chemical
Laboratory, National Physical Laboratory,
National Metallurgical Laboratory, Central
Fuel Research Institute, Central Glass &
Ceramics Research Institute and Central
Food Technological Research Institute. C.
V. Raman called it the Nehru-Bhatnagar
effect.
The ExpansionOver the years, the CSIR has continued to
expand, adding to its armoury of
laboratories many more institutes dealing
with contemporary subjects and in keeping
with the changing requirements of the
countr y. After the initial phase, in the
second phase of expansion the CSIR set
up institutes to cater to the growing needs
of dissemination of scientific information,
electrochemical research to increase the
productive capacity of the industry, drug
research for the development of the
pharmaceutical and drug industry of the
countr y, road research to be able to
reach remote corners of the country and
leather research to promote the Indian
leather industry.
The BeginningIt was in April 1940, even as the Second
World War was on, that the Board of
Scientific and Industrial Research was
brought into being to meet the
requirements of the War. The Board had
such illustrious members as Dr J.C. Bose, Dr
Nazir Ahmed, Dr Meghnad Saha, Dr S.S.
Bhatnagar, Sir H.P. Mody, Sir Syed Sultan
Ahmed, Mr Kasturbhai Lalbhai, Lala Shri
Ram, Mr P.F.G. Warren and Dr N.N. Law.
And their brief – to advise the government
on research, and help institutions to study
the problems of industry and trade. S.S.
Bhatnagar, who by then had made a name
for himself in scientific circles, was made
the first Director of the Board. The centre
of activities was the Government Test
House, Alipore, Kolkata.
Sir A. Ramaswamy Mudaliar, who
had been the moving spirit behind the
setting up of the Board, was fully aware of
the possibilities of a body like BSIR in regard
to the industr ial development of the
countr y. He, therefore, suggested the
creation of an Industrial Research Fund with
an annual grant of Rs 10 lakh for a period
of f ive years. The Central Assembly
adopted this resolution on 14 November
Insight intoIndia’s LargestR&D Organization!
“I complimentCSIR for some oftheir recentbreakthroughsin advancedscientific areasthat have thepotential to meet the basicneeds of our people.”
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan SinghPresident CSIR
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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2012 10
The next phase saw setting up of
institutes geared to the conservation and
exploitation of plants of economic value,
salt research, treatment of water and
industr ial wastes, aerospace and
petroleum research.
The CSIR today has spread its
network wide with activities ranging from
molecular biology to mining, medicinal
plants to mechanical engineering,
mathematical modelling to metrology,
chemicals to coal, environmental
protection to aerospace, petroleum
processing to leather processing and so
on.
The AchievementsAlthough CSIR has given to the nation and
its people innumerable technologies and
processes, we bring to you here a glimpse
of the wide-ranging impact of some the
most significant products and processes
that have rolled out of its laboratories over
the years.
1950s
� The indelible ink, a tool to
prevent voting by the same
person more than once,
has become the mark of
elections in India. It was
developed in 1952
by the National
P h y s i c a l
L a b o r a t o r y
(NPL), and
subsequent l y
licensed to the state-run Mysore Paints and
Varnish Limited, Mysore, which is the sole
supplier of indelible ink to the Election
Commission of India. The firm also supplies
the indelible ink to countries like Nepal,
Cambodia, Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria
and others.
� In 1952, with the setting up of the
Publications & Information Directorate
(now the National Institute of Science
Communication and Information
Resources), CSIR made its foray into the
arena of science communication. NISCAIR
today enjoys a niche presence in the field
of dissemination of scientific information
through its 17 scholarly journals and two
abstracting journals; taking science to the
people through its three popular science
magazines, and providing information on
plant, animal and mineral wealth of the
country.
1960s
� Optical glass is used in lenses and
prisms in a wide range of scientif ic,
photographic and survey instruments. The
manufacture of optical glass was a closely
guarded secret and India had to import it
at expensive prices. A special assignment
given to Central Glass and Ceramic
Research Institute (CGCRI) by the Planning
Commission was to work out the process
technology for the production of optical
glass. CGCRI succeeded in understanding
the design and fabrication of the required
equipment without any foreign
collaboration. Its 10-tonne capacity pilot
plant went into production in 1961.
� A wind tunnel is used in aircraft design
to study the effects of air moving past solid
objects. It comprises of a closed tubular
passage, in which the aircraft fitted with
appropriate sensors is subjected to airflow.
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL)
established a trisonic wind tunnel in the
1960s to catalyze aerospace research and
development. Every Indian aerospace
vehicle, from satell i te launchers to
aircrafts, has graduated out of this wind
tunnel.
1970s
� During the 1970s, milk-based food for
infants was imported. International
companies refused to set up a
manufacturing facility to produce it in India
as the milk from buffaloes (that was
consumed in India) had too much fat and
it was diff icult to develop an easily
digestible baby food from it. Central Food
T e c h n o l o g i c a l
Research Institute
(CFTRI) took up the
challenge and
developed baby
food from buffalo’s
milk and licensed it
to the Kaira Milk
Producers Co-
operative Ltd., which
marketed the
product as Amulspray Instant Milk Food.
� Production of caustic soda and
chlorine depends on the anode material
used in electrolysis. During the 1970s these
industries in India depended on metal and
graphite anodes, which suffered frequent
breakdowns due to their dimensional
instabil i ty. Central Electrochemical
Research Institute (CECRI) developed a
novel titanium substrate insoluble anode
Over the years, CSIR hascontinued to expand adding to itsarmoury new institutes cateringto the changing needsof the country.
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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 201211
Removal of
Excessive
Fluoride Raw
water
Treated
water
Screen & cloth filter
Lime Alum
(TSIA) by treating titanium metal suitably
and later coating with electro catalytic
materials of platinum group metals or
mixtures of oxides of platinum group
metals and valve metals. When the
coatings are worn out, the electrode can
be re-coated. The energy saving in caustic
soda cells varies from 5 to 7.5% for higher
current mercury cells fitted with APD and
SCE; for low current density cells it varies
from 8-12% and over 15% for diaphragm
cells. In the production of chlorate the use
of metal anodes results in the reduction of
energy consumption by 10%.
� Mechanization of agriculture played
an important role in making India self
sufficient in food grains. Central
Mechanical Engineering Research Institute
(CMERI) made its contribution to this end
with the SWARAJ, a 20 HP tractor, which
was first licensed to Punjab Tractor Limited
in 1974. CSIR’s latest contribution to Indian
agriculture is SONALIKA, a 60 HP tractor.
� Sooty kerosene wick-based stoves,
which were energy inefficient and
hazardous to health, were once the only
option for cooking food in rural Indian
homes. In the late 1970s, Indian Institute of
Petroleum (IIP) developed Nutan, with
funding and marketing support from Indian
Oil Corporation (IOC).
Launched in the Indian
market in 1977, Nutan
r e v o l u t i o n i z e d
smokeless cooking
and reduced fuel
requirement by 25%.
Nutan is still considered
an efficient cooking
appliance in the
kerosene stove
market.
� Central Mechanical Engineering
Research Institute (CMERI) came up with a
solution to providing water in villages with
technology that was simple, easy to
operate and maintain with the India Mark
II pump. Made of non-corrosive non-
metallic parts, the low-cost pump has
been successful not only in rural India, but
several other nations too.
1980s
� In the 1980s India was importing
computing power from other nations. In
one instance, when the US government
refused to supply a Cray supercomputer
to India in 1986, scientists from the National
Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) built their
own supercomputer. They connected
several computers in parallel to create
Flosolver, India’s first parallel computer.
Flosolver was used to aid research in fluid
dynamics and aeronautics, and its success
tr iggered other successful parallel
computing projects in the country such as
PARAM. Today, India can boast of
indigenous models of supercomputers that
can do almost the same jobs as other
international models, but at a fraction of
the cost.
� National Environmental Engineering
Research Institute (NEERI) pioneered the
Nalgonda technique to remove fluoride
from water in 1988. The Nalgonda
technique is named after the village in
India where the method was pioneered
and employs the flocculation principle. It
involves several unit operations including
rapid mixing, chemical interaction,
flocculation, sedimentation, fi ltration,
disinfection and sludge concentration to
recover water and aluminium salts.
� In the 1980s, the National Institute of
Oceanography (NIO) played an important
role in exploring the oceans for its
resources. Ocean waters are a source for
strategic metals like Nickel, Cobalt and
Copper at water depths of 4-6 km. India
was the first nation to get “Pioneer Investor”
status from the United Nations, which gave
it mining rights of over 1.5 million square
kilometer area.
“CSIR hasremained relevantto the nation byconstantlyreinventing itselfto stay ahead.”
Dr Samir K. BrahmachariDirector-General CSIR
Swaraj (above)andSonalika (right)
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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2012 12
� On 26 January 1981 CSIR-NIO hauled
up polymetallic nodules from the depth of
4,800 m in the western Indian Ocean. The
NIO has also found several marine
organisms that could give important drug
leads.
� Birth control pills based on
female hormones
progestogen and estrogen
had many undesirable
effects due to their
interference with other
actions of the endocrine
system. Scientists at Central
Drug Research Institute (CDRI)
tr ied to develop a safer
alternative by developing a
clearer understanding of the
role of estrogen-
progesterone balance in the
development of fert i l ized
ovum. They came upon a
solution by developing an
agent that would prevent
pregnancy by interfering with
implantation of the fertilized
ovum in the uterus without disturbing the
hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian hormone
axis. The once-a-week pill, Centchroman
reached the masses by the end of the
1980s, and is marketed under the brand
Saheli.
1990s
� CSIR’s National Aerospace Laboratories
designed and developed Hansa, India’s
f i rst al l-composite two-seater trainer
aircraft. About 10 Hansa aircraft have
already taken to the skies.
� A herbal medicine for the remedy of
bronchial asthma, christened Asmon, was
developed by the Indian
Institute of Chemical
Biology (I ICB). Asmon
inhibits arachidonic acid
oxidation, blocks the key
enzymatic step for the
synthesis of asthma
inducing enzyme
leukotriene and is not
toxic to the liver as many contemporary
drugs.
� Bamboo flowers only once during its
lifetime and that too just once in
seven to a hundred
years depending
on the species.
The flowering is
called gregarious
flowering because
all the bamboo
clumps flower at the
same time. The plants die
after flowering. In 1990, CSIR
scientists created history when
they made bamboo flowering within
weeks possible by using tissue culture
technologies.
� Convenience foods like dosa, idli,
vada, gulab jamun and many other crispies
and snacks are very popular today. They
have not only reduced
drudgery, but have also
made working in the
kitchen a pleasurable
chore. It was CFTRI that
conceived and
developed convenient
mixes for these popular
Indian dishes more than
two decades ago. Today, 90% of the
annual production of convenience food
products worth several millions of rupees is
based on CFTRI technologies.
� Scientists at CFTRI have also successfully
designed machineries for the bulk
manufacturing of popular cuisines like idli,
dosa and chapati. Some of the other
machineries the institute has devised
include vada fr ying, coffee roaster,
infrared drying of cashew nuts, continuous
popping machine, laddu making and
chikki making. Bioplates from agri-horti
wastes, sunflower dehuller and papad
making units have become popular with
the farming community and Small Scale
Industrial units.
� T he Cen t r e f o r Ce l l u l a r and
Molecular Biology (CCMB) developed a
Bkm-derived probe for DNA fingerprinting,
which is extensively used for forensic
investigation, paternity determination and
seed stock verification. This indigenous
technique has been used as evidence in
Scientists at CFTRI havealso successfullydesigned machineriesfor the bulkmanufacturing ofpopular cuisines likeidli, dosa and chapati.
Cover Story
SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 201213
many cases in the judiciary. The direct result
of this work was the formation of an
autonomous institution, the Centre for DNA
Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in
1995.
� CSIR challenged the US patent granted
to the wound healing properties of
turmeric in 1995, which has been known in
India for centuries. In 1997, India won the
patent battle and turmeric patent was
revoked. This became a landmark case,
setting a precedent for challenging
patents based on traditional knowledge.
CSIR also won a patent battle on Basmati
rice.
� Based on these experiences, CSIR
developed a digital archive of
Indian traditional knowledge –
the Traditional Knowledge
Digital Librar y (TKDL). A
Tradit ional Knowledge
Resource Classif ication
(TKRC) has already been
accepted by 170 member
nations of the International
Patent Classification (IPC) Union of the
World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO).
� The Central Leather Research Institute
(CLRI) has always had an active role in
supporting leather processing and retail
units. This was momentous in 1996, when
CLRI prevented the shutting down of 570
tanneries in Tamil Nadu as per Supreme
Court orders. CLRI’s cleaner leather
process technologies solved the problem
of the highly polluting nature of the tanning
effluents, thus saving 250000 jobs.
� CLRI’s technologies have also added
a touch of class to the world of fashion in
leather. With novel technologies tie-and-
dye leathers and printed leathers were
introduced for the first time in the western
market known for its fastidiousness for fancy
leather goods such as colourful handbags,
wallets, leather cases and several other
uti l i ty art icles. Designing fashionable
footwear is also CLRI’s forte. In 1986, the
first computer aided design (CAD) facility
in India for footwear was established at
CLRI.
� In 1995, scientists at the Central Drug
Research Institute (CDRI) developed a drug
to treat malaria – Arteether. Arteether is a
semi synthetic derivative of artemisinine,
the active constituent of the plant
Artemisia annua. It is a fast acting agent
that attacks at the erythrocytic stage of
malaria in blood. Clinical tr ials were
conducted at seven centers, and over 500
patients showed excellent response.
Arteether is being prescribed to the
patients as second line of treatment for
chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum malaria
including cerebral malaria.
� Plantations in Kangra, Himachal
Pradesh had been declining over the
years. Institute of Himalayan Bioresource
CSIR Firsts
� Designed India’s first everparallel processing computerFlosolver.
� First to introduce DNAfingerprinting in India.
� Designed & developed India’sfirst all-composite aircraftHansa.
� Designed and developed India’sfirst 14-seater plane ‘SARAS’
� Invented the first ever once aweek non-steroidal familyplanning pill in the world bythe name of Saheli.
� Achieved the firstbreakthrough of flowering ofBamboo within weeks asagainst twenty years innature.
� Helped India to be the firstPioneer Investor under theUnited Nations Convention onthe Law of the Sea.
� First to analyze geneticdiversity of the indigenoustribes of Andaman and toestablish their origin out ofAfrica 60,000 years ago.
� First ever baby food frombuffalo milk.
� Pioneered convenience foodtechnology for the first time inthe country.
� First to produce the indelibleink used in elections in thecountry.
� Developed the first transgenicDrosophila model for drugscreening for cancer inhumans.
� Established for the first timeanywhere in the world the‘Traditional Knowledge DigitalLibrary’ accessible in fiveinternational languages –English, German, French,Japanese and Spanish.
� Completed the first completeGenome Sequencing of anIndian.
� Successfully tested India’sfirst indigenous civilianaircraft, NAL NM5 made inassociation with MahindraAerospace.
Designingfashionablefootwear isalso CLRI’sforte.
Cover Story
SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2012 14
CSIR Laboratories
Name of the Laboratory Year of Establishment
Central Fuel Research Institute (CFRI), Dhanbad now merged with CMRI to 1950form Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research (CIMFR)
National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune 1950
National Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi 1950
National Metallurgical laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur 1950
Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore 1950
Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata 1950
Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow 1951
Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee 1951
Publications & Information Directorate (PID), renamed National Institute of Science 1951Communication (NISCOM); merged with INSDOC to form NISCAIR
Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC) merged with NISCOM to 1952form NISCAIR
Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi 1952
Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Pilani 1953
National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow 1953
Central Electro-chemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi 1953
Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai 1953
Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavnagar 1954
Central Mining Research Institute (CMRI), Dhanbad now merged with CFRI to form 1956Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research (CIMFR)
Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Kolkata 1935 (Taken over byCSIR in 1956)
Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad 1944 (Taken overby CSIR in 1956)
Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu (RRL-Jammu) now Indian Institute of Integrative 1957Medicine (IIIM)
Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh 1959
National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur 1958
Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur 1958
Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow 1959
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore 1959
Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun 1960
Regional Research Laboratory, Jorhat (RRL-Jorhat) now North East Institute of Science 1961& Technology (NEIST)
National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad 1961
Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar (RRL-Bhubaneswar) now Indian Institute of 1964Minerals & Materials Technology (IMMT)
Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC), Lucknow now Indian Institute of 1965Toxicology Research (IITR)
Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai (SERC-Chennai) 1965
National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa 1966
Centre for Biochemical Technology (CBT), New Delhi now Institute of Genomics & 1966Integrative Biology
Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad 1977
Regional Research Laboratory, Thirvananthapuram (RRL-Thiruvananthapuram) now 1978National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science & Technology
Regional Research Laboratory, Bhopal (RRL-Bhopal) now Advanced Materials & 1981Processes Research Institute (AMPRI)
National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS), New Delhi 1981
CSIR Complex Palampur (CCP) later renamed Institute of Himalayan Bioresource and 1997Technology in 1983
Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh 1984
CSIR Centre for Mathematical Modelling & Computer Simulation (C-MMACS), Bangalore 1988
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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 201215
Technology (IHBT) devised techniques to
revive the plantations. Agro and harvestry
practices were developed to suit specific
conditions. Processing innovations
reduced the withering time from 16 to 5
hours. These measures boosted premium
tea production in the region.
2000s
� National Aerospace Laboratories
(NAL) took a bow when the Light Combat
aircraft (LCA) soared onto the skies for the
first time in 2001. When the LCA engages
in combat, the pilot carries out split second
maneuvers using the head-up cockpit
display and the sophisticated control
software.
� NAL also developed SARAS, the 14-
seater twin-engine turboprop aircraft with
a maximum speed of over 600 km/hour,
which made its maiden flight on 22 August
2004. SARAS has state-of-the-art avionics,
electrical and environmental control
systems.
� Scientists at the Indian Institute of
Chemical Technology (IICT) developed a
cheaper process for the manufacture of
anti-HIV cocktail of drugs. The anti-AIDS
drug Zidovudine (commonly known as AZT)
had to be imported at a prohibitive cost.
At a time when the price of anti-AIDS drugs
produced abroad was about $10,000 per
“The Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research is anational institution in thebuilding of which every sectionof the Indian community hascontributed.”
C. Rajagopalacharifirst Indian Governor-General of India,
while presiding over the 12th meeting of theGoverning Body of CSIR
Creating Scientific Human
Resource for the Country
Innumerable citizens of the country following science have benefited atsome point in their career through research grants, scholarships andawards given out by CSIR.
Basic interest in science CSIR Programme on Youth for Leadership inScience (CPYLS)
Masters research Post Graduate Research Programme inEngineering
Doctoral research Junior Research Fellowship (JRF),National Eligibility Test (NET), JRF (GATE),Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), ShyamaPrasad Mukherjee Fellowship (SPMF)
Post-doctoral research Research Associateship, Senior ResearchAssociateship, CSIR-Nehru Science Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Interaction amongst Foreign Travel Grant and Symposium Grantresearchers
State-of-the-art R&D Research Schemes
Recognition of excellence Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize, CSIRYoung Scientist Award, GN RamachandranGold Medal
Support to superannuated Emeritus Scientist Schemescientists
Academy of
Scientific and
Innovative Research
(AcSIR)
With the establishment of theAcademy of Scientific and InnovativeResearch, CSIR is striving to createthe next generation of scientifichuman resource for the country intrans-disciplinary areas. TheAcademy will provide teaching andresearch facilities particularly inemerging and futuristic areas notordinarily taught in regular academicuniversities.
It will conduct courses in, andintegrate into its courses, inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinaryareas covering natural sciences, lifesciences, mathematical andcomputational sciences, medicalsciences, engineering, applied art,humanities, social sciences, lawrelating to these areas and interfacesthereof.
The programmes currently offered are:i. M. Tech.ii. Integrated M.Tech.-PhD & PhD in
Engineeringiii. PhD Programme in Sciencesiv. M.S. by Research Programmev. Finishing School Programmevi. Short Term Courses
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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2012 16
AIDS victim for a year ’s treatment, Indian
pharmaceutical Cipla created a stir by
offering the same for just $350! This
innovation ushered in an era of drug
development at cheaper costs.
� Project LaCONES is aimed at the
conservation of endangered animals
through the use of biotechnological
intervention. This initiative of unmatched
scale anywhere in the world was proposed
by CSIR with the help of the Department of
Biotechnology (DBT) and the Central Zoo
Authority of India (CZA) in 1998. It has a
wide range of objectives including
monitoring of genetic variation using
modern techniques such as DNA
fingerprinting, establishment of cell banks
and gene banks through cr yo-
preservation of semen, eggs and embryos
of endangered species, and the
development of assisted reproductive
technologies such as artificial insemination,
in-vitro ferti l ization as well as embryo
transfer and cloning. Through assisted
reproductive technologies, scientists at
CSIR's Vision:“Pursue science which strives for global impact, technology that enables innovation-driven industry and
nurture trans-disciplinary leadership thereby catalysing inclusive economic development for the people of
India.”
CSIR @ Frontiers of Science with a Human Face
Passion…
Innovation…
Compassion…
for Inclusive Growth
CSIR’s Aims:
� Science & engineering leadership;
� Innovative technology solutions;
� Open innovation and crowd sourcing;
� Nurturing talent in transdisciplinary areas;
� Science-based entrepreneurship; and
� Socio-economic transformation through S&T intervention.
CSIR-800:
Focusing on the
people at the
base of the
Economic Pyramid
� Agarbatti from templeflowers, empowering women andprotecting the environment
� Wood without trees: Ricehusk plastic wood
� Quality coir fibre production
� Fresh Byadgi chilliprocessing plant
� Agro technology on plantingmaterials of Lilium transferred tofarmers in Lahaul & Spiti. ToTresulted in sale of farmer's workvalued at Rs. 50 lakh in Delhimarket
� High efficiency post harvestdrying & processing technologyfor Ginger, Big Cardamom,Turmeric, Chillies, etc. Morethan 10,000 farmers of N.E.India would be able to sellproduce at 20-25 % higher priceto the processing centres
� Creation of aromatic industryin Kashmir Valley
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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 201217
LaCONES have already achieved
pregnancy in black buck, chital and blue
rock pigeon. In 2007, LaCONES
announced the birth of “Spotty,” a baby
spotted deer by using artif icial
insemination.
� National Geophysical Research
Institute (NGRI) has made inroads into an
area of frontier research that may offer
solutions to our energy crises. Gas hydrates
are methane molecules, locked in a cage
of ice, whose reserves alone could meet
international gas requirements for the next
300 years! NGRI is involved in explorations
of gas hydrate reserves off Indian coasts
and preliminary studies are encouraging.
� Central Institute of Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) provided farmers
with pest-resistant and high oil-yielding
varieties Menthol mint (Mentha arvensis).
More than 400000 hectares of land in the
Indo-Gangetic plains are being used to
cultivate the many new varieties of mint
developed by the scientists. Thousands of
farmers are earning their livelihood through
mint cultivation and India has now become
the largest exporter of menthol mint and
its oil.
� Central Glass & Ceramic Research
Institute (CGCRI) in collaboration with
Network Systems Technology (NeST),
developed a product called ERBIUM
doped Fibre Amplifier (EDFA). The amplifier
is a key component of cable TV networks
and restores energy loss during transmission
and ensures high quality picture, sound
and connectivity. EDFA is expected to help
in implementing “Fibre to the Home”
technology in future. The EDFA is
commercially viable in national and
international markets.
� National Geophysical Research
Institute (NGRI) and National
Institute of Oceanography
(NIO) pioneered the use of
a novel geophysical
technique called marine
magnetotellurics to
continue their exploration
of the Gulf of Kutch and the Saurashtra
region.
� The Inst i tute of Genomics and
Integrative Biology (IGIB) achieved
completion of the first ever Human
Genome Sequencing of an anonymous
healthy Indian citizen. India is now in the
league of countries that have
demonstrated the capability to sequence
and assemble complete human
genomes l ike United States, China,
Canada, United Kingdom, and Korea. The
breakthrough paves the way for predictive
healthcare and the possibility of identifying
why certain people (with particular gene
sequences) do not respond to certain
medications, and what diseases a
particular gene carrier, or a population, is
likely to develop.
� SOLECKSHAW, an eco friendly tricycle,
has been developed by a team of
scientists at CMERI, Durgapur. Driven partly
by pedal and partly by electric power
supplied by a battery that is charged from
solar energy, this three-wheeler rickshaw
requires lesser driving effort than normal
rickshaws leading to increased earning for
rickshaw pullers.
� In 2011, for the first time ever in the
history of the Republic Day parade, a
science tableau of the Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research (CSIR) showcased
the journey of drug development from
generic to genomic medicines.
� Just as the INS Vikramaditya defends
the nation, technologies developed at the
Central Food
Technological
R e s e a r c h
Institute (CFTRI)
feed them. The
naval ship is
now equipped
with six dosa
and three idli-
m a k i n g
machines, which can produce 400 dosas
and 1,000 idlis per hour. They have been
designed to spread the batter to pre-
determined size, oil ing, cooking and
dispensing chutney and curry. CFTRI is the
only R&D institute that has designed dosa
and idli-making machines in India.
� CSIR-NAL and Mahindra Aerospace
announced the successful maiden flight
of their jointly developed C-NM5 aircraft
on 14 September 2011. This is a significant
milestone in the collaborative aircraft
development programme, which is India’s
f i rst public-private partnership in the
development of aircraft. The aircraft has
been designed using cutting edge
technology and design and analysis
tools.
Compiled by Ms Vrishali Subramanian and HasanJawaid Khan
Cover Story