ISSN 0409-7467 VOL 59 NO 1 15 JANUARY 2009 Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh gives away Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for 2007 & 2008, CSIR Diamond Jubilee Technology Award for 2007 and CSIR Award for S&T Innovation for Rural Development for 2007 & 2008 Seen on the dais at the CSIR Award Presentation Function: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh (centre), Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Vice President, CSIR, Shri Kapil Sibal (left ) and Director General, CSIR, Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari Prime Minister of India and President, CSIR, Dr Manmohan Singh, gave away Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for 2007 & 2008. CSIR Diamond Jubilee Technology Award for 2007 and CSIR Award for S&T Innovation for Rural Development for 2007 & 2008, at a glittering function held on 20 December 2008 in the Dr D.S. Kothari Auditorium, DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi. Attended by a galaxy of S&T personnel, the function was presided over by Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Vice President, CSIR. Prof Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR, proposed a vote of thanks. We bring in this issue, speeches of Dr Manmohan Singh, Shri Kapil Sibal and Prof. Brahmachari on the occasion along with the citations of the prize-winners. 15 JANUARY 2009 1 CSIR Award Function Speech of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh am very pleased to be here in laboratories.” Iyour midst today to give away the It is this energy and this Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for enthusiasm of our scientists that we the years 2007 & 2008. I honour and celebrate each year on congratulate each one of the award such events. The creativity and winners. And I shall also like to innovation of our scientists are a congratulate their spouses because matter of great national pride for our this creative pursuit is a joint country. They have pushed the enterprise which is not often frontiers of scientific knowledge to recognized. This is the most enable us to strengthen our defence prestigious award for scientific capabilities; improve our healthcare excellence and is given to scientists and our agricultural economy; who are under 45 years of age. The extend the reach of our awards recognize past work but are communications and enable us to also an inspiration for the winners land on the moon. to achieve even greater successes in The Diamond Jubilee infectious diseases including the years to come. I sincerely hope Technology Award to Mahindra & adverse drug responses. Another that while we celebrate the Mahindra Ltd, symbolises the initiative that has immense achievements of these scientists, importance we attach to economic importance for our best is yet to come. commercialization of scientific and farmers is a path breaking scientific The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar technological research. The Rural discovery that enables mass awards are named after one of our Technology award given jointly to propagation of even asexually scientific pioneers and institution the National Research Centre on produced seeds. builders. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, Yak for improvement of sustainable I convey my warm appreciation along with Homi Bhaba, P.C. Yak husbandry practices in the to Shri Kapil Sibal, our dynamic Mahalanobis and Vikram Sarabhai Himalayan Region and to the Minister for Science & Technology among others created the scientific Nimbkar Agricultural Research and to Dr Samir Brahmachari, the infrastructure of our country. He Institute along with the National Director General, CSIR for these was a visionary and laid the Chemical Laboratory for genetic achievements. foundation of the great institution improvement of Deccani breed of Even as we applaud these that is today the Council of sheep recognizes the difference achievements, we have to address Scientific and Industrial Research, these innovations have made to the ourselves as a nation to the larger a pride of India. Pandit Jawaharlal livelihoods of the people in rural challenge before us. How can Nehru said about Shanti Swarup areas. My warm felicitations to science, industry and government Bhatnagar that: “Dr Bhatnagar was these award winners. work as one efficient and integrated a special combination of many I am happy that CSIR has machine to deliver to the people the things, added to which was a undertaken a number of important benefits of these scientific and tremendous energy with an initiatives over the past few years. technological advances? enthusiasm to achieve things. The We are the first country that has This is an area where countries result was he left a record of successfully mapped the entire such as China and Japan have achievement which was truly genetic diversity of its population. scored over us. Unless we apply remarkable. I can truly say that but This will lead to the identification ourselves to this task, the powerful for Dr Bhatnagar you could not have of populations that are genetically scientific tools of social and seen today the chain of national at risk of various complex and economic change will remain 2 CSIR NEWS CSIR Award Function confined to our laboratories and to interventions to neutralize weapons Our budgetary support to the our institutions. Our scientists, I of terror and mass destruction. I Ministry of Science & Technology suggest, should work to connect believe that investment in security during the XIth Five Year Plan is science to the daily lives of millions technologies is vital if our security three times higher than during the of our people. S&T based systems are to keep pace with the Xth plan. I hope that our scientific entrepreneurships and innovation increasing sophistication of departments will make judicious in industry should be encouraged at international terrorism and crime. use of these enhanced allocations all levels. And government should This is also a time when the based on a new vision, a new work create a favourable enabling world is confronted with potentially culture and a renewed focus on environment for this to take place. devastating climatic changes. It is scientific solutions that impact on Public-private partnerships also a time when the world is faced the lives of the common man. should be used to commercialize with a growing economic recession. I recognize that if our scientific the technologies emerging from But with adversity comes institutions of higher learning and R&D programmes being funded by opportunity. We can use the research laboratories are to flourish, various science departments. We ingenuity and inventiveness of they require high quality manpower should focus more on linking the lab science to find ways to ‘leapfrog’ to particularly at entry levels. We have with the market. future technologies, which are made strenuous efforts in this I urge CSIR to take the lead in affordable and also sustainable. We regard, which I hope will show this regard and define new can use some part of the public visible results in the years to come. strategies for translating cutting investment, which we will spend to We cannot be satisfied becoming a edge science and technology into stimulate our economies, in these back office for providing Research globally competitive enterprises. To new technologies that will help & Development solutions for begin with, let CSIR work to build sustainable pathways to multinational companies. commercially exploit its vast development. I am very happy that the knowledge base, currently We have proposed the creation scientific departments are making embodied in more than 3000 or so of a National Mission on Strategic their own efforts to create a talent patents held nationally and globally. Knowledge for Climate Change as pool from which our scientific The role of technology in part of the National Action Plan on establishment can draw upon. In supporting our counter terrorism Climate Change. I understand that this regard, the STIO initiative of and internal security efforts is I the Ministry of Science and CSIR, the INSPIRE programme of believe not adequately appreciated. Technology is currently putting the Department of Science & Other countries have used modern together a plan that will provide us Technology and Welcome Trust science and technology in their the framework for research and Fellowship programme of the security structures with great effect. investigation in this area. I think Department of Biotechnology are It acts not only as a force multiplier public policy should increasingly worthy of mention. but can also provide solutions to adopt strategic approaches based With these words, I once again human problems relating to on science. congratulate the award winners and command, coordination and Our government has worked wish them many many years of communication. hard for the rejuvenation of the S&T stimulating and productive research Some of the areas where greater establishment in our country, career in the service of the country work is required are surveillance including through a huge expansion and in the service of humanity at systems, cryptography, near real of the learning infrastructure. This large. Their intellectual drive and time search and identification from is a very important national priority brilliance give us hope and distributed large data bases and and we will spare no resource to confidence that Indian science can computer simulation exercises to ensure that we realize the huge devise effective solutions for the enhance our crisis tactics and potential of our Science & many problems that confront our responses. We should use scientific Technology capability. country and indeed the world. 15 JANUARY 2009 3 CSIR Award Function Welcome address by Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of S&T and ES t is indeed an honour for me to onerous responsibility on you to Iwelcome Dr Manmohan Singhji, build further on what you have done Prime Minister of India this morning and achieve higher successes and be to this CSIR Awards function to do the role models for our budding the honours.