Lok Sabha Question No. 1209 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-28
Subject: PM-STIAC
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Supriya Sadanand Sule, Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1209

TO BE ANSWERED ON 28/6/2019

## PM-STIAC

1209.  SHRI KULDEEP RAISHARMA:

SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAYTATKARE:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYASULE:

DR. AMOL RAMSINGKOLHE

DR. HEENA GAVIT:

DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY वान और ौयोगक मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has setup Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), if so, the details along with the aims and objectives thereof;
- (b) the  details  of  the  composition  of  PM-STIAC  and  number  of  meetings  held  since  its inception;
- (c) whether PM-STIAC has achieved the objective for which it was set up, if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether there is MoU between Principal  Scientific Advisor (PSA) and IIT on Waste to Wealth Technology, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  consolidate  all  possible  Waste  to  Wealth Technologies practiced worldwide and implement them at ground level in Indian cities?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE; MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; AND MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

वाय और परवार कयाण मंी ; वान और ौयोगक मंी ; और पृ वी वान मंी

(bÉ. c­ÉÇ ´ÉvÉÇxÉ)

- (a) Yes Sir, Government has set up a Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory  Council  (PM-STIAC)  in  August  2018  with  the  mandate  to  facilitate  assessment  of current  status  in  specific  science  and  technology  domains,  comprehend  challenges  in  hand, formulate and coordinate major inter-ministerial missions, develop futuristic roadmap for policy interventions in science, technology and innovation and render advice to the Prime Minister on a periodic basis. The office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India serves as the Secretariat to the Council with the PSA as its ex-officio chairman.

(b) The Composition of the PM-STIAC is as follows:

1. Prof. K Vijay Raghavan, PSA to  GoI (chair) 2. Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and Former DG, DRDO 3. Dr. A.S. Kiran Kumar, Former Chairman, ISRO 4. Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Professor IISc, Bengaluru 5. Maj. Gen. Madhuri Kanitkar, Dean, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune 6. Prof. Sangamitra Bandopadhyay, Director, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata 7. Prof. Manjul Bhargava, Professor, Princeton University, USA 8. Prof. Subash Kak, Professor, Oklahoma State university, USA, &

9. Shri Baba Kalyani, Chirman and MD, Bharat Forge, Pune.

The PM-STIAC has so far,  met on four occasions.

(c) Yes  Sir,  PM-STIAC  meetings  have  resulted  in  the  formulation  of  several  new  interdepartmental technology missions including Natural Language Translation, Quantum Frontier, Artificial  Intelligence,  National  Biodiversity  Mission,  Electric  Vehicles,  Bio-Science  for  Human Health,  Waste  to  Wealth,  Deep  Ocean  Exploration,  and  Accelerating  Growth  of  New  India's Innovations (AGNIi). An Apex Committee Chaired by PSA provides overall direction to each of the mission towards its coordinated implementation. (d) Yes Sir. There is a partnership MoU between the Office of PSA and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi for providing holistic, integrated and sustainable scientific  & technological  solutions  for  transforming  'Waste  to  Wealth'.  The  immediate  objective  is  to implement  technologies  that  are  available  with  various  national  and  international  academia, industries,  and  research  laboratories  by  setting  up  pilot  projects  on-site  and  demonstrate conceptual proof of the technology under Indian conditions. (e) A  number  of  ministries/departments  of  Government  of  India  have  taken  steps  for promoting waste to wealth technologies practiced worldwide and implement them at ground level at  Indian  cities.  The  Department  of  Science  &  Technology  (DST)  had  initiated  a  programme named 'Waste Management Technologies' in the year 2015 that aims to promote development of suitable  indigenous  technologies  with  potential  to  ameliorate  the  environmental  load  from residuals generated by industrial development and consumption lifestyle. The revised focus of the programme is six areas, i.e. Electronic Waste, Hospital Waste, Plastic Waste, and Solid Waste from Mining, Metallurgical, Ceramic Industries, Agricultural waste & Stubble Management and Laboratory Hazardous & Nonhazardous waste. Technology Development Projects proposed by R&D  agencies,  in  association  with  industry,  aimed  to  develop  pre-competitive  technologies/ techniques/  processes  are  funded  with  the  criteria  of  novelty  &  scientific  uniqueness,  DST thereby  aims  to  promote  innovative  technologies  that  can  have  commercial  potential.  Some Technology Business Incubators supported by Department of Science & Technology have 'Waste management' as one of the Technology thrust area and are promoting startup ventures working on  waste  management.  Department  of  Biotechnology  (DBT)  has  supported  10  R&D  projects during 2016 under 'Swachh Bharat Mission' for treatment of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), out of which, three are Demonstration Level Projects and seven are R&D level projects related to MSW  treatment  technologies.  One  demonstration  plant  has  been  set  up.  The  emerging technology  is  validated  by  an  expert  group  constituted  by  DBT  for  taking  it  forward  at  precommercial  level.  Work  on  technologies  transferred  /  implemented  on  'Waste  to  Wealth'  are being undertaken by 47 laboratories under Council of Scientific and Industrial research (CSIR) across the country.

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