Annual Report 2003 - 2004

Science and Technology for Women

S & T Programmes for Empowerment of Women

The objectives of this scheme are to promote technology based empowerment of women with a focus on increasing opportunities for income generation, reduction of drudgery and thereby improving the quality of life of rural women. Individual projects are supported to promote development and adaptation of appropriate technology, transfer proven technologies and demonstration of live technology models to benefit women. Another objective of this scheme is to provide an opportunity to women scientists to re-enter into the mainstream science. These programmes have made a distinct impact due to their gender sensitivity, nonconventional approach and involvement of S&T based voluntary organizations having strong linkages at the grass root level.

During the course of the year, projects were approved in different technology sectors such as cost effective water treatment, production and fabrication techniques of optical components for scientific/optical instruments, paper recycling technology, root mat production, modern agricultural practices, nursery techniques for aromatic and medicinal plants cultivation, rural dairy, watershed based soil and water conservation, preservation, processing and post arvest technology of off-seasonal vegetables, low-cost tissue culture technology, feasibility studies on production of iodized salt in rural areas, etc.

Achievements in some of the projects completed successfully were as follows:

• Facility for Certification of Medicinal Plants was set up at Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT) at Bangalore. This is perhaps the only facility exclusively dedicated to testing of quality of medicinal plants and traditional medicines for voluntary organizations, women self-help groups, marginal farmers and small scale industries in the southern states. Baseline data for 55 species of raw drugs where pharmacopoeial standards are currently not available has been generated. These include Adhatoda zylanica, Aloe vera, Andrographis paniculata, Asparagus racemosus, Eclipta alba, Hemidesmus indicus, Withania somnifera and Chlorophytum borivilianum (Figure 6.1). A methodology for TLC fingerprint profile has been developed using universal solvent for extraction. The quality of 15 botanically raw drugs has been standardized and physiochemical standards and TLC identity of different species of the same genus have been studied to distinguish them. Workshops and training programmes have been conducted for rural women involved in collection and processing of medicinal plants on importance of quality, collection/processing/storage and laboratory testing facilities.

• A project on strategies for prevention and management of problems in postmenopausal women of urban slums with reference to nutrition, osteoporosis, cataract and hypertension has been completed by SRB (Centre of Clinical Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi). The study revealed the prevalence of generalized as well as abdominal obesity in women in urban slums (BMI more> 25kg/m2). The biochemical parameters also showed prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia (15.2%), hypertriglyceridemia (27.6%), low HDL-C(53.3%). Another striking feature common to most postmenopausal women was decreased visual acuity due to cataract. Nutritional profile indicated high total fat, high PUFA, low fibre intake leading to increased hyperlipidemia. The project has led to the development of a comprehensive interventions strategy including health education camps, diet charts and education on sanitation and hygiene exclusively designed for postmenopausal women residing in urban slums.
• A new improved four spindle Magan charkha to reduce drudgery has been developed at Magan Sangrahalya Samiti, Wardha (Figure 6.2).The charkha has been designed for coarse fibre production by use of low-cost inferior quality cotton grown by farmers in dry land. With this charkha the quality as well as production of yarn will improve considerably. It can be operated by aged as well as disabled women.
• A unit for preparation of storage forms of biopesticides (powders, extracts) based on principles of Vrkshayurveda has been set up at Agani village in Nagapattinam district.
  
• An improved cost effective energy saving and environment friendly thermo container for domestic use has been developed by Energy Management Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. This model is designed for upto 75% energy saving.

Recent initiatives

A coordinated programme on ‘Fodder and Animal Feed’ was initiated in different agroclimatic zones of the country. This programme envisages transfer of improved fodder production technology to rural areas involving women such as (a) year round fodder production technology – cultivation of cereals and legumes in rotational manner, (b) up gradation of poor quality roughages, (c) silage preparation, (d) preparation of silopits, (e) silvipasture development, (f) fodder production bunds, (g) cultivation of perennial grasses such as Dicanthium, Cenchrus, Sehima, Stylosanthus and bushes like Sesbania, Leucaena, Deshmanthus.

Scholarship Scheme for Women Scientists

The “Women Scientists Scholarship” scheme has been instituted to provide opportunities to women who desire work as bench-level scientists or get engaged in S&T based selfemployment. This scheme is to help them re-enter into mainstream academic, research, design and development work.

The main objective of the scheme is to provide support to women scientists to pursue science in all its aspects and encourage them to continue in the scientific profession and also to contribute towards application of science and technology to societal development.

Under this scheme, three categories of the scholarships are being provided – (a) to pursue research in frontier areas of Science and Engineering, (b) to pursue research on societal problems requiring S&T intervention, and (c) for undergoing S&T based internship leading to self-employment.

After evolving the guidelines based on the recommendations of a high-level scientific committee, the scheme was widely announced in national and regional newspapers and also through brochures and website. Sensitization workshops were also organized at Baroda, Pune, Mysore and Chennai for the societal component of the programme.

The response to this scheme was overwhelming. About 5000 applications were received. The applications were screened by high-level subject Expert Committees. The first two categories screened candidates were subsequently interviewed for final selection. Under the third category, a written examination was conducted for selection. Finally, about 200 candidates were selected. 100 of the selected candidates were awarded scholarships during this year after completion of all formalities.

Under the scholarship scheme for women scientists for societal programmes, some of the technology areas in the projects are: detection of heavy metals and pesticide residues in herbal formulation, development and field testing of women friendly paddy seeder, cost effective deflouridation techniques, prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia, studies on development
aspects of an endopupal diapriid parasitoid in Uzi fly, treatment of tannery effluent, modern techniques of fodder cultivation, purification of drinking water by releasing iodine from polymeric curries, lichens as bio indicators of air pollution, micro propagation of high value low volume medicinal plants etc.

The selected candidates have been awarded projects costing up to Rs.15 lakhs for 3 years which includes scholarships of Rs. 10,000/- p.m. or Rs. 15,000/- p.m. The projects also included grant for travel, contingencies, consumables and minor equipment.

Under the scholarship scheme for women scientists, a programme to provide schalarships in the patent searches and other IPR related matters has been launched and scholarships will be provided to 20 women scientists.

This scheme has been hailed as a novel attempt to address the genuine needs of women scientists and may be the first of its kind in the world.

Other Initiatives

Agharkar Research Institute, Pune

Agharkar Research Institute, Pune is undertaking research in the area of life sciences, basic as well as applied. Research projects undertaken in the Biometry and Nutrition group were directed for studying problems of rural women. These included under-nutrition and delayed growth, and menarche in rural girls, issues related to adolescent pregnancy that are responsible for low birth weight in rural children, maternal nutrition and its impact on birth outcome, typical maternal activities that exert adverse influence on fetal growth, effect of female literacy on utilization of health mortality. Gender issues in a socially stigmatic disease like leprosy and recommendations to tackle its effect on course of disease were also studied.

The ultimate solution to nutritional problems of the rural areas lies in creating nutritional awareness and imparting knowledge about nutritional requirements. The rural areas should be made aware of the nutritional foods available locally. With this objective, an action programme was undertaken to tackle the problem of anaemia in rural women. It aimed to involve women in kitchen garden activities, teach them simple methods of preservation of green leafy vegetables and demonstrate simple recipes using low cost locally available foods.

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Trivandrum

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala has taken a major initiative for Gender Mainstreaming Programme in Medical Education. A plan of action has been chalked out with the following main objectives:

• Review of commonly followed medical text books in order to produce gender sensitive curriculum for the medical undergraduates (MBBS students);
• Conduct short term courses on Gender Mainstreaming for Medical Teachers and Administrators; and
• A conference of decision makers & opinion makers (Vice Chancellors, Secretaries of Health, Deans of Medical Colleges, Representatives of the Medical Council, Professional Organisations & the Media) is proposed to be held to present these concepts and the new curriculum.

One of the tangible results of Gender Mainstreaming in Medical Education will be to significantly reduce maternal mortality by 2020 through the gender sensitive approach of MBBS graduates trained under the new curriculum.

National Award for Women's Development through the Application of Science and Technology

This award was given away by His Excellency, the Vice President of India, Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in a function held at Vigyan Bhavan on 26th March, 2003. The recipients of this years award were Dr. Shanta Mehrotra, Head, Pharmacognosy, National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow and Dr Ramalakshmi Datta, Vivekananda Institute of Biotechnology, Nimpith, West Bengal for their outstanding contributions in technology transfer that have made sustainable changes in the lives of rural women.