As a part of the Government’s focus on the development of programmes that aim to directly and positively impact people’s lives rapidly, the Ministry of Science and Technology has been at the forefront in many of these initiatives. Two Farmer-Centric initiatives of this Ministry are Biotech-KISAN and Cattle Genomics.

The Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan shared details on these new initiatives with the Press in New Delhi today.  The two programs are intended to have major impact on rural livelihood through science. The Minister in his address stated that the Prime Minister’s emphasis on the importance to work on the problems faced by our farmers is a great motivation factor for the scientist community.

Biotech- KISAN (Krishi Innovation Science Application Network) Empowering Small- and Women- Farmers with Science Implementation

Biotech-KISAN is a new programme that empowers farmers, especially women farmers. Cash crops and horticulture can be a major source of income but the vagaries of climate, disease and market often prevent this. Farmers are eager to use scientific tools that can mitigate these factors. The Department of Biotechnology is partnering to stimulate these exciting directions. 

The Scheme is for farmers, developed by and with farmers, it empowers women, impacts locally, connects globally, is Pan-India, has a hub-and spoke model and stimulates entrepreneurship and innovation in farmers.

Biotech-KISAN is:

• For Farmers: The Biotech-KISAN is a Farmer centric scheme launched by of the Department of Biotechnology, where scientists will work in sync with farmers to understand problems and find solutions.
• By Farmers: Developed in consultation with the farmers.  Soil, Water, Seed and Market are some key points that concern small and marginal farmers. Biotech-KISAN aims to link farmers, scientists and science institutions across the country in a network that identifies and helps solve their problems in a cooperative manner.
• Empower women. The woman farmer is often neglected. It is important to empower the women farmer, help her meet her concerns for better seed, storage of seed and protection of the crops from disease and pest. The women farmer is also the prime caretaker of livestock and she is eager to combine traditional wisdom in handling the livestock and with current best practices, especially in the context of emerging livestock disease. The scheme includes the Mahila Biotech- KISAN fellowships, for training and education in farm practices, for women farmers.  The Scheme also aims to support the women farmers/ entrepreneur in their small enterprises, making her a grass root innovator.
• Connects Globally. Biotech-KISAN will connect farmers to best global practices; training workshops will be held in India and other countries. Farmers and Scientists will partner across the globe.
• Impacts Locally. The scheme is targeted towards the least educated marginalised farmer; Scientists will spend time on farms and link communication tools to soil, water seed and market. The aim is to understand individual problems of the smallholding farmers and provide ready solutions.
• Across India. Biotech KISAN will connect farmers with science in the 15 agro-climatic zones of the country in a manner, which constantly links problems with available solutions.
• Hubs and Spoke. In each of these 15 regions, a Farmer organisation will be the hub connected to different science labs, Krishi Vigyan Kendra and State Agriculture Universities co-located in the region. The hub will reach out to the farmers in the region and connect them to scientists and institutions.
• Farmers as Innovators. The hub will have tinkering lab, communication cell and will run year-long training, awareness, workshops and which will act as education demonstration units to encourage grass root innovation in the young as well as women farmers.
• Communicating Best Practises There will be a communication set-up to make radio and TV programmes for local stations, as well as daily connectivity through social media.

Cattle Genomics: Taking Indigenous Livestock to Pole Position

Livestock contributes significantly to the livelihood of rural poor in our country and has enormous potential to reduce poverty. There is a predicted increase in demand for animal food products in India by 2020.  In the wake of climate change challenges, quality breeding of indigenous livestock is essential. When breeding is selective, the native livestock can transform the lives of small farmers. Genomic selection will ensure high-yielding, disease-resistant, resilient livestock.

Selecting hardy livestock that give high-yields. Better livestock can be genetically, selected which ultimately leads to enhancement of productivity in a sustainable, resilient manner.

Traditional Breeding takes time. Genetic improvement of livestock through traditional selection for increasing livestock productivity has major limitations. To overcome these, genomic selection has played a crucial role in livestock industry globally.

Global best methods for local livestock. Genomic selection will transform local livestock breeding. This uses information on variation in DNA sequences between animals to predict the breeding value of animals more accurately.

Genome sequencing of indigenous cattle breeds from all registered cattle breeds of India by involving various stakeholders is to start soon. 

Development of high-density DNA chips. This will reduce the cost and time interval of breeding program in future and productivity of indigenous cattle will be enhanced.

The Indo-Italian Joint Committee established under the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement re-launch cooperation in the sectors of science, technology and innovation. The original agreement was signed between Italy and India in 2003.

The Indian delegation led by Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, while the Italian delegation was led by Vincenzo De Luca, Director General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

On 19 October 2016, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rome hosted a meeting of the Joint Committee which approved several initiatives in bilateral scientific R&D projects of significance with the aim of facilitating the mobility of researchers who will be jointly selected and co-financed within the framework of the 2017-2019 Indo-Italy Executive Programme of Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

Information and Communication Technology, energy, environment and sustainable agriculture, health care, biotechnology and medicine, nanotechnology and advanced materials, physics and astrophysics and technology applied to the cultural and natural heritage, are the areas agreed upon by the two countries for joint projects.

The Committee expressed appreciation for the launch of the next phase of cooperation established between Italian and Indian researchers in the India-Trento Programme for Advanced Research (ITPAR).  Secretary, DST has inaugurated two Indian experimental beam lines at the Synchrotron facility in Trieste for the ELETTRA ‘XRD2’ and ‘XPRESS’ accelerators which is funded by DST at a cost of 6 million Euros.

The Committee further discussed a new scientific and technological cooperation programme on applied science, aimed at developing technologies and processes to be applied in industry. Joint workshops are to be alternatively held in Italy and India, starting from 2017. An Indo-Italian Innovation Forum will be established to promote and connect the world of research with the world of business and investment.

Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Vice President, CSIR, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, at a press conference organized here today, made an announcement that the CSIR Platinum Jubilee Celebrations would be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India and President CSIR, Shri Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 26^th September, 2016. The Minister also launched CSIR’s Integrated Skill Initiative Program during the press conference.

Further, Dr. Harsh Vardhan informed that on this occasion, the Prime Minister would release seven new plant varieties developed at CSIR laboratories to the farmers located at five different locations from across the Nation, in an interactive mode through video conferencing. The Prime Minister would also witness an exclusive CSIR Showcase on major technological contributions of CSIR, organized on the sidelines of the event, he added.

On this occasion, the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes would be given to eminent scientists. The CSIR Diamond Jubilee Technology Award, CSIR Award for Science & Technology Innovations for Rural Development, CSIR Technology awards, G.N Ramachandran Gold Medal for the year 2016, CSIR Young Scientist Award, CSIR Innovation Award for School Children are the other CSIR awards that would be presented on this occasion.    

After the formal launch of a major program on ‘CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative’, Dr. Harsh Vardhan also elaborated on the range of special activities built around the CSIR Platinum Jubilee Celebrations during the ensuing year, including organization of unique CSIR showcases and holding of lecture series of eminent scientists and industry captains, in several cities across the country.

The Minister added that CSIR proposes to launch 30 integrated skill initiatives in diverse areas with varying duration that would be further expanded to 75, within next one year.  All these training programs are interconnected and linked to industry requirements and thus would invariably contribute to the subsequent employment generation, including small-scale entrepreneurship, he emphasized.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan highlighted that CSIR, with its nearly 8000 highly talented S&T personnel, excellent inter-disciplinary expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and a Pan-India presence, it is in a unique position to contribute towards Government’s enterprise- enhancing programs in Skill India and Stand up India. He informed that no other Nation in the World has a conversion rate of innovations into patents over an average of 3-4% except CSIR, which has 13-14% on an average.

While congratulating CSIR on its achievements during the 75-year long journey, the Minister mentioned about some of its path breaking societal interventions which have empowered the common man. Be it the creation of the unique indelible ink used by the voting millions during its initial years or India’s first baby milk - Amul spray milk powder, derived from buffalo milk with excellent digestibility, or resurrecting the Indian leather industry from the verge of closure, due to pollutants contaminating water, thus saving the livelihood of thousands, CSIR has time and again proved itself relevant to the nation during its journey of its 75 years, he added.

On this occasion, in the presence of the Minister, the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI), Chennai and Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes Cooperative Finance Corporation (APSCCFC) signed an agreement for skill training, upgradation and entrepreneurship development of 10000 underprivileged candidates who are below the double poverty line with an aim of creating income generation assets for their households enabling their socio-economic development.

"Think with open minds, strategize and work in a coordinated manner for the betterment of every citizen's life", said Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, while presiding over a day-long brainstorming session for the Ministry of Earth Sciences held here today. The Minister expressed the need to revisit all the action plans focussing on the needs of the common man and reorient the Ministry’s programmes in tune with the National mission.

"Pursue vigorously relevant plans for society's welfare and strengthen mechanisms to monitor and review their success", said Dr. Harsh Vardhan while addressing Senior Officers, Directors and Scientists from Institutes/Laboratories under the Ministry from all over the country. The Minister called upon various units of the Ministry to work proactively with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.

The Minister laid stress on the role of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in reducing the risk and devastation due to natural hazards in the country and in providing valuable services for socio-economic benefits. The brainstorming session was organized to discuss the on-going scientific programmes, gap areas, vision, future plans and road map for the Ministry. Issues relating to the weather forecast, climatology, seismology and oceanography were all discussed in great detail.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan highlighted that Government of India’s integrated approach to deal with atmosphere, ocean and geosphere has paid good dividends and we have indeed started reaping them. The Minister emphasized on better planning and focused activities on exploring the ocean resources and polar-regions, which are strategically important.

Various new initiatives taken up by the Ministry as envisaged in the 2030 vision document were on the agenda of the daylong meeting. These include developing state-of-the-art multi-hazard early warning systems for natural disasters including  Earth Quakes, Coastal Hazards, Tsunamis, high ocean waves, urban and flash floods; Weather and climate services for the northeast region; Marine Observations along Indian Coasts and a Coastal Mission; Support the Initiative of Blue Economy by improving ocean services and innovating and developing cutting edge ocean technology for the generation of clean energy from the oceans (waves, currents and thermal gradient) and map the living and non-living resources in the Indian Ocean and prepare the strategies for their sustainable use and harvest; Develop deep-sea mining technologies, including a manned submersible, for the exploration and mining of polymetallic nodules from the central Indian Ocean were also discussed. Further strategic investments and research for exploring the Arctic, Antarctic and Himalayas were the points of focus.

In addition, Dr. Harsh Vardhan also informed that MOES has initiated six new projects as a part of the implementation of the recommendations of the Group of Secretaries submitted to the Prime Minister of India. These six projects have been selected by the NITI Ayog along with 42 other projects for all other Ministries of Government of India.

The Minister emphasized that the Ministry needs to identify new user groups and produce tailor made service products for sectors like Renewable Energy especially wind and solar energy, and Tourism. He stressed the need to improve the last mile connectivity to disseminate the forecasts and advisories to the users. Quoting an example, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said under the National Monsoon Mission around 19.4 million farmers are benefiting from agro meteorological information through sms and have contributed to around Rs. 50,000 crores annually to India's GDP. “We are working determinedly to take the present 19.4 million beneficiaries to 93 million by December 2018”, the Minister added.

Envisioning the future prospects, the Minister said that at present, agro meteorological and fishermen advisories are given to only 30% of potential users and there is an urgent need to improve the communication strategy by forecasting for the block level under the National Monsoon Mission. Thus, more socio-economic benefits can be brought out by the Ministry.

Talking about stakeholder engagement, the Minister informed that on the 28^th of September the Ministry is holding an all stakeholder meet with all the existing and potential partner agency representatives at INCOIS, Hyderabad. This meet is planned to work out a road map for expanding the outreach of agricultural and Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories to 93 million farming household and 8-9 lakh active fishermen respectively.

Dr Harsh Vardhan concluded by saying “I am confident that the scientists of the Earth Science Ministry will dedicate themselves making the Ministry as one of the best in the world in providing services for weather, climate, ocean, and seismology and bringing in more socio-economic benefits.”

Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. K.J. Ramesh, Director General of Meteorology, India Meteorological Department, Directors of Institutes/Laboratories, senior scientists and officers of the Ministry attended the session. Presentations were made to the Minister by the Secretary and Directors of Institutes on the details of on-going programmes, challenges and road map of actions for the Ministry.