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.

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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