Lok Sabha Question No. 6133 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-04
Subject: Science Express Special Train
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV

## (a) Yes, Madam.

(b to (d):   The Government introduced the Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS) exhibition train in 2015. It travelled  across  India  to  convey  the  message  of  climate  change  and  make  people  aware  about  its  implications  and possible actions to address the issue. SECAS was a modified version of 'Science Express', a 16 coach Air conditioned train which was custom-built for Department of Science and Technology (DST) by Indian Railway in 2007. After the seven  successful  tours  across  India,  it  was  redesigned  on  the  theme  'Climate  Change'  as  'Science  Express  Climate Action Special (SECAS)'. It was a unique collaborative initiative of DST, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change  (MoEFCC)  and  Ministry  of  Railways,  Government  of  India.  The  state-of-the-art  exhibition  on  board  the SECAS aims to create awareness among various sections of society as to how climate change can be combated through mitigation  and  adaptation.  The  exhibition,  having  no  entry  fee  and  open  to  all,  primarily  targeted  students  and teachers, conveying a strong message about Climate Change. It also provided a good opportunity to generate dialogue and discussion. Thus, the state-of-the-art exhibition aboard the 'Science Express Climate  Action Special  met the set objectives to create awareness among various sections of society, especially students, as to how Climate Change could be combated through mitigation and adaptation.  Of the 13 exhibition coaches of SECAS, exhibits in 8 coaches were exclusively  devoted  to  information,  case  studies  and  material  related  to  various  aspect  of  Climate  change,  the underlying science, impacts, adaptation activities, mitigation solutions and policy approaches in a manner that is easy to understand and interesting for not just school students but also the masses.  For the first time, solar panels have been installed on the rooftop of Science Express coaches 11-13 for harnessing solar energy. The broad theme covered in each exhibition coach is as follows:

-  Coach 1: Understanding Climate Change - Insights in the climate as a system, the greenhouse gas effect and the underlying reasons for climate change with key  message that the current change in the climate is due to human activities.
-  Coach 2: Impact of Climate Change - How temperature rise, monsoon variations, sea level rise are predicted to affect vital sectors like water, agriculture, forests and biodiversity, and human health and ways to reduce these.
-  Coach 3 & 4: Adaptation - Concepts of adaptation and examples from day to day life, adaptation strategies and stories from field. Adaptation options in urban and rural contexts and the adaptation actions India is taking.
-  Coach 5 & 6: Mitigation - Concept and definition with examples, emphasis on restoring balance, enhancing sinks and reducing emission through Renewable Energy (RE) technologies. Various programmes implemented by India and low carbon strategies and ambitious goal to increase RE footprint.
-  Coach  7:  International  Negotiations  on  Climate  Change  -  Introduction  to  UNFCCC,  IPCC  and  internationally agreed action & targets. Explaining concept of equity and common but differential responsibility, Kyoto protocol & other key outcomes of major COP, etc.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.6133 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4/4/2018

## SCIENCE EXPRESS SPECIAL TRAIN

6133. DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN: SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE: SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO: SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

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- (a) whether the Government has introduced Science Express-climate action special train;

(b) if  so,  the  details thereof along with the stations covered in each State and total length in kms. it has covered since its launch;

- (c) the objectives set/achieved in this regard;
- (d) the present status of the cities covered by the Science Express special train;
- (e) the expenditure incurred till date on Science Express special train; and
- (f) the steps being taken by the Government to introduce more science expresses in future?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES AND MINISTER OF

## ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

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-  Coach 8: Handprint - What can one do at school, on roads, at home and in offices and focus on concept of lifestyle choices with the key message 'Increase your Handprint. Decrease your Footprint'.
-  Coach 9 & 10: Exhibition put up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt of India, covering themes like Biotechnology  for  bio-resources  and  nature  conservation  with  emphasis  on  Tiger  Conservation  and  Chemical Ecology and India's research and development initiatives in field of Biotechnology.
-  Coach  11:  Exhibition  put  up  by  the  National  Innovation  Foundation  (NIF)  showcasing  select  innovations, demonstrating the ingenuity of common people and an innovative project which uses augmented reality techniques. It also include exhibition on themes like Innovations in S&T, Technological solutions for societal development, etc.
-  Coach 12: A Kids Zone is set up for children from Std. 4 and below to participate in fun-filled activities, games and puzzles in science, mathematics and environment.
-  Coach  13:  The  Joy  of  Science  (JOS)  Hands-on  Lab  in  this  coach  is  a  space  where  students  from  Std.  5-10  can perform  experiments  and  activities  to  understand  concepts  in  environment,  science  and  mathematics  in  an interesting manner. A training facility is also set up for orientation of teachers here.

SECAS has successfully  completed  two  tours  of  India  in  two  phases-  first  run,  the  eighth  phase  of  Science Express,  was  from  15  October  2015  to  7  May  2016  and  second  run  or  the  ninth  phase  of  Science  Express  from  17 February 2017 to 8 September 2017.  In these two phases, the SECAS has halted at 138 Railway Stations in 22 States, covering 39,000 km. At each halt of SECAS, activities were planned to connect with visitors across different age groups to reinforce its message. An exciting Outreach Programme was also conducted in local schools/institutions along with activities on the railway platforms to ensure that those waiting for their turn to see the exhibition are gainfully engaged. In addition, informative take-away material was made available for wider distribution amongst schools and visitors. Science Express in its nine phases since its launch till 8 Sept 2017 has halted at 531 Railway Stations on Broad Gauge in 24 States across India. There has been overwhelming response at every halt of the Science Express in all its nine phases. Since its initial launch on 30 October 2007 and till end of ninth phase on 8 Sept 2017, it has been visited by 1.81 crore people across India. Details of Railway Stations/Cities/ Towns covered in each state are as under:

| Sr. No.   | State            |   No. of Stations Covered |   No. of Cities/town covered |
|-----------|------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh   |                         9 |                            9 |
| 2         | Delhi            |                         3 |                            1 |
| 3         | Rajasthan        |                         7 |                            7 |
| 4         | Punjab           |                         7 |                            7 |
| 5         | Haryana          |                         3 |                            3 |
| 6         | Himachal Pradesh |                         2 |                            2 |
| 7         | Jammu &Kashmir   |                         3 |                            3 |
| 8         | Uttar Pradesh    |                         8 |                            8 |
| 9         | Uttarakhand      |                         4 |                            4 |
| 10        | Madhya Pradesh   |                         7 |                            7 |
| 11        | West Bengal      |                        10 |                           10 |
| 12        | Assam            |                         8 |                            8 |
| 13        | Odisha           |                         7 |                            7 |
| 14        | Chhattishgarh    |                         2 |                            2 |
| 15        | Telangana        |                         3 |                            3 |
| 16        | Tamil Nadu       |                        10 |                           10 |
| 17        | Kerala           |                         5 |                            5 |
| 18        | Karnataka        |                         7 |                            7 |
| 19        | Maharashtra      |                        12 |                           12 |
| 20        | Gujarat          |                        10 |                           10 |
|           |                  |                       127 |                          125 |

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