ISSN 0409-7467 CCSIRSIR NEWSNEWS Progress, Promise and Prospects VOL 60 NO 21 & 22 NOVEMBER 2010 Distribution Ceremony of Shanti Swarup CONTENTS Bhatnagar Prizes and CSIR Award for S&T Innovations Address by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, for Rural Dr Manmohan Singh Development Welcome Address by Prof. Samir. K. Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR Address by Shri Prithviraj Chavan, the then Hon’ble Minister of State (IC) for S &T CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development – 2009 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for Science & Technology—2009 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for Science & Technology—2010 CSIR, India and UNIK, Malaysia Sign Agreement for R&D Collaboration website: http://www.csir.res.in PRIZE DISTRIBUTION CEREMONY The Honíble Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, Presents Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes 2009 and 2010, and CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development 2009 Seen on the dais during the CSIR Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Distribution Function at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi (from left) are: Prof. Samir. K. Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR; the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and President CSIR, Dr Manmohan Singh and Shri Prithviraj Chavan, the then Hon’ble Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Vice President, CSIR The Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, who is also the President of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, gave away the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes 2009 and 2010, and the CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development 2009 at a glittering Function held at Vigyan Bhawan on 20 October 2010. Shri Prithviraj Chavan, the then Hon’ble Minister of State for Science & Technology (Independent Charge) and Earth Sciences and the Vice President of CSIR presided over the Function, which was attended by a galaxy of scientists, technocrats and media personnel. Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR, extended a warm welcome to eminent personalities, the Prize-winners and their families, the distinguished invitees and the CSIR family. 242 CSIR NEWS ADDRESS BY DG, CSIR Welcome Address by Prof. Samir. K. Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR The Hon’ble Prime Minister and They represent the best of our science. President, CSIR Society, Dr. Manmohan It is very apt that they will henceforth Singh, Hon’ble Shri Prithviraj Chavan, be called “Bhatnagar Awardees”, an Minister for S&T and Vice President, Award named after a great Indian CSIR Society, Awardees and their scientist, Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, families, invited guests, CSIR staff, who laid the foundation of a great Ladies and Gentlemen. I extend you all institution, the CSIR and was also a very warm welcome to the Bhatnagar instrumental in the setting-up and growth Prize and CSIR Awards for S&T of many others, including Atomic Innovations for Rural Development Energy. distribution ceremony and thank you for CSIR Award for S&T Innovations DG CSIR, Prof. Samir. K. Brahmachari joining us on this special occasion. for Rural Development instituted in the delivering the Welcome Address The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Sir, year 2006 seeks to recognize those your presence today is very special as it contributions, which bring in an Planetary and Atmospheric sciences. maintains a legacy, a faith of the one at innovation-centric, technology-driven Yet the bar of performance is no barrier the highest echelon of the governance change for the betterment of our rural for those who give their best. in us. For the past more than 10 years, population. It is an Award, which is Today, we have also achieved a these Awards are being conferred by complementary to CSIR’s flagship landmark. Of all the 14 women the Prime Minister of India, confirming programme, CSIR-800. scientists, who are recipients of this for us your commitment and priority the Sir, Bhatnagar Prizes were instituted prestigious Award since 1956, 30 per Government accords to the importance in 1956 and were first given in 1958. So cent are being honoured today. It is a of Science, Technology and Innovation. far, 463 proud Indians have got it, very positive reflection of more and Thank you, Sir. including the ones getting today of which more women adopting science as a Science system in India, generically 14 are women. The Awards are given career. This trend is quite visible in the speaking, represented by Departments to scientists, below 45 years of age, young girl engineers who have joined in of Atomic Energy, Biotechnology, working in India in one of the seven 2009 and 2010 CSIR’s most innovative Space, Science & Technology, Scientific science areas, namely Chemical, programme, the Post-Graduate and Industrial research, Earth Sciences Biological, Physical, Medical, Research Programme in Engineering and others couldn’t have been better Mathematical, Engineering and Earth, (PGRPE). It is a programme meant to blessed than to have Shri Prithviraj Ocean, Planetary and Atmospheric prepare engineer researchers, like our Chavanji as our Minister, himself an sciences. own Minister, whom we need to further engineer researcher. He understands Sir, when I said that these awardees strengthen the manufacturing base of our the system well and has deep empathy represent the best of our science for nation. for the researchers working in it. We these years, this is a confirmation of the It is also symbolic of the rising owe him a gratitude for his inspiring stringent, transparent and globally women power in India as has been leadership. equitable selection criteria followed by proven by our women athletes in the Sir, we are honoring today 20 young the selection panels. It is for this reason recent Commonwealth Games. Sir, I, Indians, and a ‘company’ who have alone that for the year 2010, no scientist representing the scientists of India, made a difference to the path of science has been recommended for the areas thank you and the Hon’ble Minister for and innovation, which they are pursuing. of Mathematical and Earth, Ocean, creating enabling policies and systems. NOVEMBER 2010 243 PRIME MINISTER’S ADDRESS develop an Indian model of innovations being a resource rich land, taking for private enterprise partner public S&T that will go beyond formal R&D based granted the limitless bounty of mother institutions in their translation and systems. It will focus on creating an Nature. In fact, the reality is that as a transformational efforts. Let them join appropriate ecosystem conducive to nation we are not well endowed with hands with our public institutions in fostering innovation across diverse natural resources when measured on creating new manufacturing strategies sectors of our economy. It will use a per capita basis. We should, for both strategic and non-strategic enabling technologies to develop not therefore, inculcate the traditional applications. Let there be publicly only new products, new processes and values of thrift embedded in our culture owned and privately operated world- new services but also improve existing and our civilization and saving in the class R&D facilities. production and delivery systems. The use of our scarce natural resources. In this context, I congratulate the Council will identify policy changes Scientific innovation should be Indian Oil Corporation’s R&D Centre that may be required to spur and harnessed to the needs for at Faridabad for developing an promote the cause of innovation. conservation. We have to extract environment-friendly, non-toxic, While encouraging all important “more from less”. We have to be able biodegradable “agrospray oil” to sectors of our economy to innovate, it to develop technologies that create control plant pests. The Centre, will make special efforts to facilitate “wealth from waste”, thereby tackling therefore, richly deserves the “CSIR innovation in the micro, small and the depletion and degradation of our Award for S&T Innovations for Rural medium enterprises sector and in the environment while conserving our rich Development” for the year 2009. delivery of public services. biodiversity and finite resources. I In conclusion, I wish to say that In this context, I am happy that believe that Institutions like the CSIR we are in a period of transition in Indian emphasis of research is on problems have to play a catalytic role in this science. There is a huge expansion in facing our rural sector and this has area. our higher education infrastructure. It received recognition from the CSIR. I Our government is establishing an is in these new institutions that we have commend this initiative of the CSIR Academy of Scientific and Innovative to sow seeds of a new work ethics, a wholeheartedly. Innovation is a key to Research, which will use the new work culture, a new orientation solving the critical challenges our infrastructure of the CSIR to impart and a bold new vision of where Indian nation faces in providing food, water cutting-edge research training in science can be and should be in the and energy security for our people. In frontier areas of science and next few decades. We have to build India we have lived with the idea of engineering that are not ordinarily infrastructural assets but also taught elsewhere. knowledge bases. We need to If we are to give generate knowledge but also know meaning to our how to put to good use. We need to search for new encourage individual excellence but frontiers in Indian also solid teamwork. I am very Science, then a optimistic about the future of our much larger country and the future of science in participation of the our country. I am confident that the private sector is spark I see in many of the young faces also essential. We in front of me will power the engine of have to leverage Indian science powerfully in this 21st the private sector’s century.