Adopt ‘one-person, one-lab’ mantra, PM Modi exhorts CSIR society members

Chairing a meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) society on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted its members to adopt a “one person one lab approach”. Several of India’s eminent scientists, industrialists and secretaries of scientific ministries are members of the society. The “one person one lab approach” would require them to make at least 2-3 visits a year to an assigned CSIR lab and convey the society’s scientific expectations to lab staff, persons who attended the meeting told The Hindu.

Mr. Modi, as Prime Minister, is also president of CSIR, a consortium of 37 laboratories and 39 outreach centres. A meeting of the society is held annually but meetings weren’t held in the last two years because of the pandemic.

Mr. Modi, according to a press statement from the Science Ministry, urged CSIR to develop a vision for 2042 when it turns 100 years old.

A virtual summit of all labs ought to be regularly held and the scientific community should be coming up with technological solutions to “increase protein content in cereals” and introduce new varieties of millets to improve yield as well as nutritional content.

He called for India to develop technologies not only for itself but also the world and “pursue novel approaches for addressing energy needs focussing on green energy”.

Scientists must deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in fields ranging from “traditional knowledge to mapping students to their interest, skill sets and competencies” to equip them for future challenges, he stated.

N. Kalaiselvi, Director-General, CSIR, presented the recent achievements and contribution of the organisation including the first hydrogen fuel cell, ushering in purple revolution in Jammu and Kashmir and opening of the Traditional Knowledge Database Library (TKDL).