Union Min Harsh Vardhan launches CSIR technologies for rural development

Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday launched the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Technologies for rural development, a statement said.

Among the technologies launched by Vardhan are improved beehive for quality and hygienic extraction of honey, developed by CSIR's Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology; manufacturing of ginger paste developed by the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore; dehumidified drier for food and agri products and agricultural waste (wheat bran, sugarcane bagasse and fruit peels) based biodegradable plates, cups and cutleries developed by National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram.

The technologies were launched under a joint initiative of CSIR, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) and Vijnana Bharti (VIBHA)

A tripartite MoU to this effect was signed by the three parties on July 28 to work jointly for post-COVID fast track action plan to create livelihood opportunities in rural areas, particularly for the people who returned to their native villages in the lockdown period.

In his address, Vardhan said appropriate intervention of science and technology (S&T) can play a crucial catalytic role in bringing equity and equality in the process of development.

"Corporates, research agencies, organisations working with medium, small, and cottage level entrepreneurs, voluntary social organisations, NGOs, and socially cognizant citizens need to partner on a common platform to address various problems affecting the lives of millions," the statement quoting Vardhan said.

"The challenges that we would be facing need actions at several levels, and we need to explore and reinvent innovative approaches for actions from different stakeholders that include not just government agencies but also voluntary social organisations, NGOs, corporates, entrepreneurs, academicians and scientists and constructively supplement these efforts," he said.

He highlighted that the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Education conceptualised and launched in IIT Delhi, with a vision of transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an inclusive India.

"Unnat Bharat Abhiyan now constitutes 45 Regional Coordinating Institutions (RCIs) and 2,614 Participating Institutions (PIs). Till date, a total of 13,760 villages have been adopted under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan," he added.