Lok Sabha Question No. 3386 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Inventions in Science and Technology
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: JYOTI DHURVE, VISHNU DAYAL RAM, GOWDAR MALLIKARJUNAPPA SIDDESHWARA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3386

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22/3/2017

## INVENTIONS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

†3386. SHRIMATI JYOTI DHURVE: SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM: SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWARA:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY òãðìððÐð ¡ðøÜ ÑßðøÌðð÷ò±ð¨îó Ùðüëðó be pleased to state:

- (a) the major inventions/discoveries made in the field of Science and Technology in the country during the last three years and the current year along with the budget allocated therefor;
- (b) the steps taken for the commercialisation of the said inventions/ discoveries along with the
- extent of success achieved as a result thereof;
- (c) whether developed countries are depriving India of the latest technology through baseless
- and time barred restrictions;
- (d) if  so,  whether  the  scientific  endeavours  of  India  have  faced  any  hindrance  due  to unavailability of states-of the-art foreign technology; and (e) if so, the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (SHRI.Y. S. CHOWDARY)

òãðìððÐð ¡ðøÜ ÑßðøÌðð÷ò±ð¨îó ÙðüëððâðÚð Ùð÷ü Üð¸Úð Ùðüëðó +ÉÉè® ÑðöÆãðó òãðìððÐð ÙðüëððâðÚð Ùð÷ü Üð¸Úð Ùðüëðó

(gÉÉÒ ´ÉÉ<Ç. AºÉ. SÉÉèvÉ®ÉÒ)

- (a) Several  scientific  organsations  such  as  Department  of  Science  &  Technology  (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have registered new inventions/ discoveries made in the field of Science & Technology in the country during the last three years and the current year.

Under Mega Science programme of DST, a landmark discovery of gravitational waves was  made  in  the  field  of  physics  and  astronomy.  Thirty  seven  Indian  scientists  also contributed in this discovery. The discovery of gravitational waves is a fundamental basic research discovery.

In one of the Nano Mission funded projects to promote scientific research in the frontier area of Nano Science and Technology, water purification systems for Arsenic & iron removal using  nanotechnology  (AMRIT-  Arsenic  and  iron  removal  by  Indian  Technology)  has  been developed  and  commercialized  at  IIT-Madras.  It  functions  without  electricity  which  provides arsenic -free drinking water at a cost of less than 5 paise per litre.

Some of the major discoveries made by Indian researchers during last three  years and current year include Smart nanoparticles based drug delivery systems, new technique to predict solar  cycle.  Indian  scientists  have  contributed  significantly  in  the  discovery  of  Higgs  Boson popularly known as Boson Particle.

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its thirty ninth flight (PSLV-C37), launched the 714 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation and 103 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 663 kg at lift-off into a 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). The  copassenger  satellites  comprised  of  101  nano  satellites,  one  each  from  Kazakhstan,  Israel,  The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 96 from United States of America (USA), as well as two Nano satellites from India. The total weight of all these satellites carried onboard PSLV-C37 was about 1377 kg. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru designed and built the Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) payload and calibrated in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency; Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR); and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The pay load was successfully integrated and flown on board ASTROSAT satellite on Sept 28th 2015.

Department of Space has developed  many technologies viz. Multilayer Printed Antenna Technology,  DDV  100  Resin,  Dual  Polarisation  LIDAR,  Precision  Tapping  Mechanism, Photosynthesis  lrradiance  lncubator  Box,  CSNM  0102  adhesive,  Hard  anodising  at  room temperature, Polymide film including production of Polyamic Acid, Sesco-125 flame retardant coating,  EPY  1061  coating  compound,  BMT  ceramic,  Benzoxazine  Resin,  EFA  4330  Film Adhesive,  PC-10  Thermal  Protection  System,  Silica  Fiber,  Silica  Granule,  Nickel  Hydrazine Nitrate.

Sustainable  industrial  activities  using  local  resources  in  the  rural  areas  are  extremely important for inclusive development of the country. The DST has prioritized interventions for the benefit  of  rural  populations  in  particular.  A  Rural-Industry  Complex  has  been  established  at Malunga village in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan in 2015- 16. Integration of technology in this industry complex has been done in such a manner that satisfies local needs by utilization of local resources, converts waste to wealth in environmentally friendly approaches to fulfill the objectives of Swachch Bharat, Swastha Bharat and Samarth Bharat initiatives.

Photovoltaic integrated Micro Solar Dome, is the simple innovative technology developed with support from Department of Science & Technology to meet the lighting need for people who do not have access to reliable supply of electricity. The product has been included for subsidy under Off Grid and decentralized solar application scheme of Ministry of New and Renewable energy. The Ministry of Rural Development has informed to all States and Union Territories for adopting  this  innovative  technology  of  Surya  Jyoti  for  the  houses  constructed  under  Prime Minister Awas Yojana-Gramin.

The Agharkar Research Institute, Pune had contributed to the development of ten wheat varieties, which include five durum, four aestivum and one dicoccum variety. Soybean variety MACS 1188 was released and notified by the Central Varietal Release & Notification Committee of  the  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research,  for  cultivation  in  Southern  Zone.  Agharkar Research Institute has developed a microbial process for the recovery of crude oil from depleted wells having temperatures exceeding 91°C using a consortium of hyperthermophilic bacteria.

Under the Aided institutes supported by DST, Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali has developed a novel nanomaterial for the treatment of industrial and domestic effluents. This invention holds great potential for practical applications in recycling domestic as well as industrial wastewater to solve the problem of water scarcity in the country. Sree Chitra Tirunal  Institute  for  Medical  Science  &  Technology,  (SCTIMST)  Thiruvananthapuram  has developed Harmone releasing intrauterine device 'Emily' jointly with  a industry partner. The clinical trials of the product have been successfully completed and product has been launched in the market. Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore has invented an Impedance based 'Hand

held milk purity testing device' to detect 'synthetic milk adulteration'. A new invention in antenna design  was  done  at  RRI  to  selectively  reject  bands  corrupted  by  interference  in  wideband antennas. This  enables  using  wideband  antennas  for  sensitive  measurements.  International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad has developed photocatalytic TiO2 nanocrystalline particles for sunlight induced self-cleaning textile applications. ARCI has also developed silica aerogel based flexible mats for thermal insulation. The  budget  allocated  for  various  R&D  and  related  schemes  under  Department  of  Science  & Technology are Rs. 2921.12 crore for 2014-15; Rs.3854.80 crore for 2015-16 and Rs. 4493.83 crore for 2016-17.

Some  of  the  major  inventions/discoveries  in  the  filed  of  biotechnology  are  Fecal Incontinence Management device , Auditory Impairment Screening device, Soft Tissue Biopsy device, Ostomy Management Appliance, Limb Immobilization Device, Celiac Disease Diagnostic Kit, Rapid point-of-care typhoid diagnostic Kit, a genetically engineered ascorbic acid-deficient live mutant developed as vaccine candidate for visceral leishmaniosis, diagnostic kit for the onsite detection and identification of Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV).

(b) The  process  of  commercialisation  of  any  invention/discovery  involves  several  steps  in technology  development  chain.  The  Ministry  has  set  up  National  Research  Development Corporation  (NRDC)  for  commercialisation  of  indigenously  developed  technology.  NRDC provides value addition to the laboratory scale technologies assigned to it. The services provided by NRDC add value to the lab scale technologies and make them commercialisable which is an indispensable  step  towards  growth  of  R&D  and  in  turn  leads  to  furtherance  of  R&D  in  the country.  NRDC has filed about 1700 patents and signed 4874 licence agreements for transfer of technology in different sectors.

The new inventions/ technologies related to agriculture and allied sections generated in ICAR have been filed for protection as patent in the Indian Patent Office and for registration under Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority. Agrinnovate India Limited a registered Company has been established by Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) which aims to work on the strengths of DAREs-ICAR and promote the development and spread of R&D outcomes through IPR protection and commercialisation.

The Ministry of Science  &  Technology  has  set  up  Patent  Facilitating  Cell  for  filing  of patents and also established Technology Development Board of commercialization of indigenous technologies. START-UP NIDHI (National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations) supports  startups/  innovative  ideas  right  from  proto-type  development  to  commercialization through a bouquet of 7 programmes. The flagship program of DST, NIDHI Technology Business Incubator has been successful in creating scalable science and technology based ventures and startups.

Women  Technology  Parks  act  as  a  single  window  hub  for  convergence  of  diverse technologies,  integrated  with  forward  and  backward  linkages  leading  to  socio-economic development of women through capacity building and adoption of location-specific technologies, integrated with forward & backward linkages leading to development of women entrepreneurs. So far, 19 Women Technology Parks (WTPs) are fully functional benefitting about 20000 women while 13 WTPs have been established during past two years targeting another 25000 women.

In order to promote entrepreneurship and commercialization of research outcomes in the field  of  biotechnology,  the  Government  has  established  'Biotechnology  Industry  Research Assistance Council' (BIRAC) under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) with the mandate  to  build  the  biotechnology  innovation  ecosystem  in  the  country.  Since  its  inception, BIRAC has provided funding to entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs and translational organizations to  the  tune  of  Rs  677  crores  which  has  helped  innovation  research  to  bring  high  quality  and affordable products towards commericialisation. The Biodesign programme implemented by the Department of Biotechnology aims to promote medical device innovation and to train the next generation of medical technology innovators by promoting entrepreneurship in medical device

sector by creating Startups. NRDC has been successful in taking the lab scale technology to the commercial scale. The number of technologies commercialised during 2013-14 is 19, 2014-15 is 40, 2015-16 is 21 and 2016-17 upto 31.7.2016 is 7. Some of the major technologies licensed to Industry are: Super absorbent Hydrogel developed at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Extraction of Azadirachtin from Neem seeds developed at IARI, New Delhi- a neem based Bio-pesticide. Mosquito Larvicide formulation of Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) -a bio-control agent developed at Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), Puducherry. Various sericulture related technologies developed by Central Silk Board etc.

Innovative technologies developed and commercialized under Water Technology Initiative (WTI) of DST include technology developed for Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) based plasma system for disinfection. The technology has been successfully transferred for commercialization.  A  water  purifier  for  arsenic  and  iron  free  drinking  water,  based  on  iron oxyhydroxide, a nanostructured material to remove arsenic has been developed at IIT Madras, the technology has been  transferred  to  a  start  up.  TiO2 (Titanium  dioxide)  self-cleaning technology  developed  at  ARCI,  Hyderabad  is  commercialized  and  the  textile  garments  are launched in the market.

(c) to (e):  Scientific endeavours of the country are not facing any hindrance due to unavailability of state-of-the-art foreign technologies. Department of Science & Technology has been working with  different  countries  on  joint  R&D  projects.  Collaboration  has  been  initiated  with  the Rutherford  Appleton  Laboratory  (RAL),  UK  to  access  its  neutron  facility  for  carrying  out research in Nano Science Technology. India has signed the Agreement for Associate Membership of CERN and has become an Associate Member State of CERN on 16th January 2017. The IndoUS consortium has developed the crucial prototype test loop at IISc Bengaluru for development of high temperature concentrated solar power in the country. DST and Research Council-United Kingdome (RC-UK) have agreed to launch India-UK Clean Energy R&D Centre on solar energy, storage  and  integration.  Building  upon  the  Thames-Ganga  Partnership  and  recognizing  the importance  of  clean  and  portable  water,  DST  and  RC-UK  have  agreed  to  launch  a  new collaborative programme on Improving Water Quality and Reusing Waste Water.

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