Focus on eco-friendly innovations: Ananth Kumar

Emphasising on the need to focus on environment friendly innovations, Ananth Kumar, Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, has called for sustained growth with competitive edge in the petrochemicals and plastics processing downstream industry in the years to come. While addressing the 4th National Awards for technology innovation in petrochemical & downstream plastics processing industry to the awardees at a function in New Delhi on July 17, 2014 he urged industry and the entrepreneurs to go for technology innovation.
 
He added that the chemical industry is critical for the economic development of a country, providing products and enabling technical solutions in virtually all sectors of the economy. The wide range of chemical products play vital role in catalysing not only the economy of the country, but also in making the life-style of human beings comfortable and sophisticated.
 
The awards are conferred by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India for technology innovation in the fields of polymeric material, polymeric products, polymer processing machinery & equipment, polymer waste management & recycling technology, green polymeric materials & products, polymers in agriculture and water conservation, polymers in public health care and research in the field of polymer science & technology. 
 
The Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals (DCPC), Government of India had set up this award scheme to incentivise meritorious innovations and inventions in various fields of polymers, with participation of individual/team, industry, academic and R&D institutions. The purpose of this award scheme is to develop value added and quality petrochemical products at globally competitive price using eco-friendly processes and technologies in line with the National Policy on Petrochemicals approved in 2007. The Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), an autonomous institute under DCPC, has been entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the scheme of the National Award for technology innovation in petrochemicals & downstream plastic processing industry. 
 
CIPET made special efforts for sensitising the industry and academic institutes about this initiative of the government. In the 4th National Awards, 313 nominations were received which were scrutinised and evaluated by a committee of experts consisting of academicians, members from the industry, experts from R&D institutions. Finally, 17 nominations were selected as winners and 6 runner-up for technology innovation in petrochemicals and downstream plastics processing industries in the fourth year of its operation in 2013-14. A total of 23 awards under eight categories and three sub-categories were awarded.
 
The winners list:
Dr Rabindranath Jana for ‘Development of liquid crystal polymers for actuator applications’ in the individual/team category of ‘Innovation in polymeric material’.
Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai for ‘New ultra high molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE) for defense applications’ in the industry category of ‘Innovation in polymeric material’.
Trebhuwan Singh Raman for ‘An improved oropharyngeal airway’ and Rishi Baid from Poly Medicure Ltd, Faridabad, for ‘Safety IV cannula’ in the individual/team category of ‘Innovation in polymeric products’.
Valtree Global Associate, Secundrabad, for ‘Valtree preinsulated valves & strainers’ in the industry category of ‘Innovation in polymeric products’.
IIT, Kharagpur, for ‘Process technology for manufacturing jute based cellulosic fibre and method for manufacturing superabsorbent polymer bound on a natural polymer for sanitary napkin and diaper’ in the academics and R&D institution category of ‘Innovation in polymeric products’.
Dr S K Nayak, Dr Smita Mohanty and Bishnu Prasad Panda, CIPET, Bhubaneswar for ‘Development of flat and curved bottom FRP liquid helium dewar for squid based application including magnetoence phalography (MEG)’ in the individual/team category of ‘Innovation of polymer processing machinery & equipment’.
Dave Technical Services, Mumbai, for ‘Mini blow twin station form-fill-seal (FFS) machine’ in the industry category of ‘Innovation of polymer processing machinery & equipment’.
Dr S K Nayak , Dr Smita Mohanty & Dr Jandas P J, LARPM-CIPET, Bhubaneswar for ‘High impact recycled plastics from waste electrical & electronic equipment (WEEE) for thin walled outer casing applications’ in the individual/team category of ‘Innovation in polymer waste management & recycling technology’.
Montage Health Care & Bio Chem Private Ltd, Mumbai, for ‘Bioconversion of mango kernel an agri-waste to bio-plastics’ in the industry category of ‘Innovation in green polymeric materials & products’.
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, R&D Centre, Faridabad for ‘Reach compliant novel internal donors based Ziegler-Natta catalysts for producing phthalate free polypropylene’ in the academics and R&D institution category of ‘Innovation in green polymeric materials & products’.
Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Uma Kant Pandey, Madhya Pradesh Warehousing & Logistics Corporation, Bhopal for ‘Silo bag used for storage of food grain’ in the individual/team category of ‘Polymers in agriculture and water conservation’.
Auto Irrigation Pvt Ltd, Haridwar, for ‘Plastic hydrocyclone filter for micro irrigation’ in the industry category of ‘Polymers in agriculture and water conservation’.
Dr Roy Joseph and C V Muraleedharan, Shree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Trivandrum, for ‘Fluoropolymer coated and hydrogel sealed vascular graft implant’ in the individual/team category of ‘Polymers in public health care’.
HLL Life Care Ltd, Trivandrum, for ‘Development of novel intrauterine device-coated copper T’ in the academics and R&D institution category of ‘Polymers in public health care’. 
Dr Reddithota J Krupadam, Nagpur, for ‘Smart polymers for environmental carcinogens sensing and remediation’ in the individual/team category of ‘Research in the field of polymer science & technology’.
Dr Anjana Jain, P Siva Subba Rao and Dr Rajeev Jain, National Aerospace Laboratory, Bangalore, for ‘Development of polyvinylidene fluroride (PVDF) polymer composite films and demonstration as an actuator for flapping wing of micro air vehicle’ in the academics and R&D institution category of ‘Research in the field of polymer science & technology’.