More muscle for CSIR likely

Sibal talks of drinking water plants for coastal areas.

The government today announced that the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) would be given greater autonomy to enable it to take "bolder initiatives".

"The transformation would allow it (CSIR) greater autonomy for bolder initiatives for public-private partnerships and investing knowledge as equity," Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said here at the inauguration of the 93rd Indian Science Congress.

As part of its drive to "serve the common man", the Centre is planning to set up a plant for providing clean drinking water besides giving effect to a national biotechnology strategy.

"By mid-2006, we plan to install a one-million litre per day plant for conversion of sea water into drinking water off the coast of Tamil Nadu. We also intend to install a 10-million litre per day plant to provide clean drinking water along the Indian coast by the end of this year."

The cost of this water is envisaged to be lower than that provided by any other technology in the world.

"We will also form an Earth Commission and Earth System Science Organisation to provide inputs on issues related to climate, environment, land use and ocean resources to the rural people. Besides, we intend to give greater autonomy to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research so that it becomes accountable and performance-oriented," he added.

"By giving effect to our national biotechnology development strategy, we will be able to create 50 centres of excellence and a national pool of 500 research positions in the next five years for life sciences and biotechnology. This apart, it will allow us to set up institutions for animal biotechnology and seri-biotechnology," Sibal said.

"We will also like to bring forth a legislation to make intellectual property rights central to the functioning of research establishments. There are plans with regard to setting up of an autonomous board of science and engineering research with enhanced level of funding and an initial pool of 1,000 scientific positions," he added.