Lok Sabha Question No. 2651 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Development and Deployment of Advanced Technologies
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Smt. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2651 ANSWERED ON 11/12/2024

DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES 2651. Smt. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo:

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

विज्ञान  और प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्री

- (a) the  details  of  initiatives  undertaken  to  develop  and  deploy  advanced technologies  for  mitigating  the  impacts  of  climate  change  particularly  in coastal regions like Odisha, which are vulnerable to cyclones and rising sea levels;
- (b) whether any research collaborations have  been  established with academic institutions in Odisha to advance innovations in mineral exploration and sustainable resource management, if so, the outcomes of such collaborations; and
- (c) the  Government  efforts  to  integrate  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI)  and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for addressing environmental, industrial, and disaster management challenges in Odisha and other resource-rich States of India?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी तथा पृ थ्िी विज्ञान मंत्रालय क े राज्य मंत्री ( स्ितंत्र प्रभार) ( डॉ. जितेंद्र स ंह )

- (a) Yes Sir. Department  of Science and Technology  (DST) supports renewable  energy  interventions  for  development  of  bamboo-based  floating solar structures and self-cleaning solar panels in the coastal regions of Odisha.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) funds mangrove conservation at RPRC  Bhubaneswar  and  research  on  plant  productivity  in  Bhitarkanika mangroves at NIT Rourkela. Geological Survey of India (GSI) studies coastal dynamics and shoreline changes along Odisha's coast.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) enhances cyclone prediction and mitigation  using  advanced  technologies  like  satellite-based  warnings  and

collaborates  with  Indian  National  Centre  for  Ocean  Information  Services (INCOIS) and Odisha State authorities for preparedness.

CSIR  institutes  contribute  with  CO2  sequestration  research  at  CSIRInstitute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar, development  of  cyclone  shelter  designs  during  storms  at  CSIR-Structural Engineering  Research  Centre  (CSIR-SERC),  Chennai,  and  cyclone-resistant rural  housing  post-Fani  cyclone  at  CSIR-Central  Building  Research  Institute (CSIR-CBRI), Roorkee.

- (b) In  2024,  GSI  signed  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  with  CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar for critical  mineral  beneficiation,  including  studies  on  lithium ores. CSIR-IMMT collaborates with institutions in Odisha on mineral processing and metallurgy, resulting in publications, patents, and skill programs for faculty and  students.  A  process  developed  at  CSIR-National  Aluminium  Company (NALCO) to recover metal from fly ash is being up-scaled with Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar.

The Ministry of Mines (MoM) funds academic institutions, R&D centres, start-ups, and Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for projects under its Science and Technology Programme  to advance geosciences, mineral exploration, mining, and resource conservation.  Odisha-based institutes like CSIR-IMMT,  Indian  Institute  of  Technology,  Bhubaneswar,  and  National Institute of Technology, Rourkela has been funded by MoM for these projects.

- (c) DST has established 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) advancing AI, Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. Under this initiative, IIT Ropar is working to improve Air quality forecasting & IIT-Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has developed IoT-ML rainfall prediction systems for farmers.

Artificial  Intelligent/Machine  Learning  (AI/ML)  technologies  have  been integrated  into  weather  forecasting  through  a  dedicated  AI/ML  center  and Graphical Processing Unit-based systems at Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Key initiatives include:

- A  Task  Force  for  cyclone-resilient  electricity  infrastructure  in  coastal
1. regions.
2. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) efforts on cyclone-resilient infrastructure and shelters.
3. The coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) has been also launched in 2019 to strengthen early warning systems and infrastructure resilience globally.

CSIR-IMMT  is developing AI-based image  processing  for iron palletization and wireless thermocouples for industrial furnaces.

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