Lok Sabha Question No. 357 (STARRED), answered on 2016-08-10
Subject: Inventions/Discoveries in Science and Technology
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: TARIQ ANWAR

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.357 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10/08/2016

## INVENTIONS/DISCOVERIES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

†*357. SHRI TARIQ ANWAR:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ÉÊ´ÉYÉÉxÉ A´ÉÆ |ÉÉètÉÉäÉÊMÉBÉEÉÒ àÉÆjÉÉ 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;
- (b) the steps taken for the commercialisation of the said inventions/ discoveries; and
- (c) the extent of success achieved as a result thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

ÉÊ´ÉYÉÉxÉ A´ÉÆ |ÉÉètÉÉäÉÊMÉBÉEÉÒ àÉÆjÉÉÒ +ÉÉè® {Éßl´ÉÉÒ ÉÊ´ÉYÉÉxÉ àÉÆjÉÉÒ (bÉ. c­ÉÇ ´ÉvÉÇxÉ)

- (a) to (c):  A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  AS  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.357 FOR 10/08/2016 REGARDING INVENTIONS/DISCOVERIES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

(a) Several  scientific  organisations  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,  during  2015-16,  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.

Out  of the 75 promising leads  from the research work  carried out  at  ICMR Institutes/Centres in the last few years, 11 technologies have  been released for commercialisation between  2013  to  2016.  A  total  of  18  technologies  have  been  licensed  to  industries  for commercialization.

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.

The nature of cosmic sources, their radiation processes and environment are understood on the basis of emissions over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Importantly, multi-wavelength studies  can  be  made  only  from  coordinated  observations  with  different  satellites.  The  most efficient and effective approach is to have a dedicated satellite with several co-aligned instruments covering the desired spectral bands (UV and X-ray). It will then be possible to simultaneously observe all the desired wavebands. The ASTROSAT Mission is one such endeavor. 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.

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.

In order to capture day light and concentrate the same inside the dark rooms, a low cost device  named  Surya  Jyoti  has  been  developed  and  tested  with  the  support  of  a  project  from Department of Science & Technology over 2015-16. Surya Jyoti is basically a Micro Solar Dome which has a transparent semi-spherical upper dome made of acrylic material. This captures the sunlight that passes through a sun-tube of a thin layer of highly reflective coating on the inner

wall of the passage. During the daytime, illumination of Surya Jyoti goes upto an equivalent of 15watt LED lamp. The dome has also been integrated with Photo Voltaic (PV) panel to enable the dome to provide light upto 4 hours after sunset. The cost of Photo Voltaic integrated Surya Jyoti works out to Rs.1200 and without Photo Voltaic panel it works out to Rs.500. The cost is expected to come down drastically after scaling up of the manufacturing process.

Technologically feasible solutions for 19 site specific water challenges such as scarcity and water quality in 212 villages across 23 states with pathways for upscaling have been demonstrated. An  indigenous  technology  on  improving  Traditional  Water  Mills  for  Income  Generation  to enhance the livelihood of Tribals in Arunachal Pradesh was demonstrated at two places Rikpu Ronya and Mukyom-Kojak village, West Siang District, Arunchal Pradesh.

Electronic  Cordless  Jacquard  Loom  Weaving  Centre  for  Marginalized  Handloom Weavers in Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu: The system is unique as this is an indigenous development to  alleviate  occupational  stresses  of  the  weaver  and  help  develop  design  conversion  tool  using visual basic on windows operating platform. This will also help in the creation of new business opportunities for the handloom weavers.

A 2 units of 100 kw Micro Hydel Plants have been commissioned at height of 13000 feet in Thangu, North Sikkim based on Cross flow turbine technology.

DEVELOPMENT  OF  CROP  VARIETIES  Wheat:  The  Agharkar  Research  Institute, Pune had contributed to the development of ten wheat varieties, which include five durum, four aestivum  and  one  dicoccum  variety.  The  recently  developed  10th  variety  -  MACS  6478  was released and notified by the Central Subcommittee on Crop Standards on 30 July 2014 for timely sown irrigated conditions of the Peninsular Zone. 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. Field trials at the farmers' fields in kharif season of 2014 gave maximum yield of 3250 kg/ha. The salient features of this variety include short maturity of 98 days; seed germination is above 90%; resistant to pod shattering and suitable for mechanical harvesting; and highly resistant to diseases like Rhizoctonia aerial blight, bacterial pustule and charcoal rot, major insect-pests like stem fly, pod borer, leaf folder, leaf miner and defoliators.

Microbial Enhanced Technology for Oil Recovery (MEOR): Agharkar Research Institute developed  a  microbial  process  for  the  recovery  of  crude  oil  from  depleted  wells  having temperatures exceeding 91°C using a consortium of hyperthermophilic bacteria. Oil recovery to the tune of 60% was achieved by using this consortium during simulated sand pack experiments. This process was developed in collaboration with Institute of Reservoir Studies, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (IRSONGC). The technology was implemented in field (ONGC owned oil well in South Kadi, Gujarat).

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

(c) 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:

- 1 Super absorbent Hydrogel developed at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. It is a semi-synthetic super absorbent polymer for water saving and higher crop yield.
- 2 Extraction of Azadirachtin from Neem seeds developed at IARI, New Delhi- a neem based Bio-pesticide.
- 3 Potassium Humate from Lignite developed at Neyvelli Lignite Corporation, Neyveli. It is used as a fertilizer to obtain higher yields and better product quality.
- 4 Mosquito Larvicide formulation of Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) -a bio-control agent.developed at Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), Puducherry.
- 5 Vijetha  Supplement  Powder,  developed  at  'Central  Sericultural  Research  &  Training Institute (CSRTI), Mysore. A silkworm bed disinfectant.
- 6 Test Kit for Microbiological quality of Drinking water developed by Defence Research & Development Establishment (DRDE), Gawalior.
- 7 Various sericulture related technologies developed by Central Silk Board.
- 8 Para-Pheromone Trap, developed at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) for management of flies in fruit crops.
- 9 Micronutrient folior spray formulations for different crops, developed at IIHR & CSRTI.
- 10 Indelible Ink developed at CSIR-NPL (National Physical Laboratory). The ink is used for the election purpose.

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.

Efforts have been made at Department of Space to commercialise the in-house development of technologies. During the said period, 20 technologies have been transferred to industries. NIF supported  grassroots  innovators  to  start/  scale  up  their  enterprises.  During  the  said  period, technology  of  20  grassroots  innovations  and  traditional  knowledge  based  products  have  been transferred through various licenses.

The ICMR has filed the Indian and international patents on new inventions for facilitating the commercialization process. Six ELISA based technologies for diagnosis of viral disease (viz. Hepatitis  E,  Japanese  encephalitis,  Crimean  congo  hemorrhagic  fever,  Chandipura  virus  and Kyasanur forest disease) have been transferred to industry.

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