Annual Report 1999-2000

International S & T Programmes

Regional Co-Operation

ASEAN

The Second Meeting of the ASEAN-India Working Group on Science & Technology was held in Singapore on October 25-26, 1999. An 8 member Indian delegation led by JS(ED & MER), MEA attended this meeting. A representative from TIFAC-DST participated in the deliberations of the meeting.

Discussions were held on the ongoing projects in the specific areas of Advanced Materials, Information Technology and Biotechnology. In the area of Advanced Materials, Singapore and Mayanamar showed keen interest to participate in the two specific projects relating to Surface Engineering and Rare Earth Magnet. In the area of Information Technology, under AIDA (ASEAN-India Digital Archives) project, India has completed the target of 231 multi-media elements in Phase-I of the programme. Noting the success of Phase-I, it was decided to continue this project further with a focus on improvement in technology as well as quality. Thailand has been asked to prepare a concept paper in this regard. Training of 100 ASEAN scientists through NIIT has been another facet in the area of Information Technology. Preparations are under way to finalise the course contents to enable the first batch to undergo training by March 2000. Similarly, in the area of Biotechnology, the meeting endorsed the proposed project proposals relating to Plant Biotechnology for crop improvement and better utilisation of natural resources as well as Embryo Transfer Technology.

On a specific request, a presentation on India's space technology was made by the representative of ISRO, and on Bio-informatics and Biotechnology programmes aimed at food security was delivered by a representative of DBT. As a follow up of these, India was requested to prepare concept papers on these 2 themes for consideration by ASEAN.

SAARC

The Sixteenth Meeting of the SAARC Technical Committee on Science & Technology was organised in New Delhi in February, 1999 which was participated by all the 7 member states. During the meeting, a number of project proposals for consideration under the proposed SAARC Technology Initiative were recommended.

A separate session on Cooperation in Biotechnology was held in which Action Plan was prepared and various member States were assigned the work of preparation of Status papers on various sectors of Biotechnology.

Three projects were recommended by the Technical Committee for support under SAARC-Japan Special Fund. The Committee also recommended carrying forward of two activities under the Integrated Programme of Action to the current year's Calendar which could not be conducted last year. Multi-Lateral Co-Operation

NAM S&T CENTRE

Support continued for The NAM S&T Centre. The Centre organised 4 workshops / training courses in identified areas of priority. A workshop on IPR related issues organised in India were supported by DST. The meetings of the Bureau of Eighth Governing Council of the NAM S&T Centre were held in May 1999. The 9th Governing Council meeting, earlier scheduled in Indonesia, was held in Delhi in November 1999.

UNESCO

A nine-member Indian delegation led by Hon'ble Minister for HRD and S&T, participated in the UNESCO/ICSU sponsored World Conference on Science (WCS) at Budapest, Hungary, during June 26-July 1,1999. Secretary, DST represented India upon its election to the 18-member drafting group established during the conference.

As part of the statement by the leader of the Indian delegation, India proposed launching of five new international programmes, namely,

• Internet Enabled Science Teaching and Education.
  
• International Mobility of Qualified S&T Personnel.
  
• Publication of World Technology Report.
  
• Promotion of Scientific Literacy & Culture accessible to all.
  
• Preservation and Utilisation of Traditional Knowledge Systems.
  

All the amendments proposed by India to the Draft Declaration on Science and Draft Science Agenda, including the proposals for launching 5 international programmes were accepted and incorporated in the two documents adopted by the WCS.

Subsequently, the Indian delegation to 30th Session of UNESCO General Conference, participated in the General Policy Debate at Paris during Nov.27-31,1999. Interventions were made to seek amendments in the Major Programme II: Sciences in the Service of Development of the UNESCO's Draft Programme and Budget for 2000-2001 and four of these were finally adopted. Science Wings at Indian Missions Abroad

Science and Technology Wings in Indian Embassies in Germany, Japan, Russia and USA strived hard to strengthen bilateral, inter-agency and inter-institutional co-operation. These Science Wings facilitated the identification and implementation of joint S&T Programmes of mutual interest and also the visits of Indian Scientists/Technologists to R&D Institutions in these countries as well as the visits of Scientists/ Technologists form these countries to Indian R&D Institutions.