Lok Sabha Question No. 5385 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Technology Support to Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Thiru Arun Nehru

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5385 ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026

## TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT TO PERAMBALUR AND TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

## 5385.  THIRU ARUN NEHRU:

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

- (a) the details of projects, grants and incubation/innovation programmes  supported  by  DST,  DBT,  CSIR  etc.  in  Perambalur  and Tiruchirappalli districts during the last five years;
- (b)
- the number of institutions, start-ups and students benefited; and
- (c) whether any district-level science centre, tinkering labs or innovation hubs are proposed in this region?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (b):   Department  of  Science and  Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology  (DBT),  and  Council  of  Scientific  and  Industrial  Research (CSIR) implement a range of national-level schemes and programmes to promote  and  strengthen  research  and  development  (R&D),  innovation, incubation and technology development across the country, including in the districts of Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. The details of  various  programmes  under  which  benefits  have  been  availed  in Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli districts during the last five years are as follows:

Through  the  DST  -  Fund  for  Improvement  of  S&T  Infrastructure  (FIST) programme, 4 projects in 3 academic institutions in Tiruchirappalli district have been supported.

Under  the  DST  -  National  Initiative  for  Developing  and  Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) programme, start-ups are supported from ideation to commercialization through components such as EIR, PRAYAS, Seed Fund and Technology Business Incubators (TBIs). During the last five years, 14

startups/innovators from the Tiruchirappalli-Perambalur region have been supported  with  financial  assistance  of  about  ₹1.56  crore.  DST  has  also supported  a  Science  and  Technology  Entrepreneurs  Park  (STEP)  at  NIT Tiruchirappalli  which  has  further  been  supported  by  Atal  Incubation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog with scale-up grant of Rs. 8.66 crore.

Through  the  DST's  INSPIRE  Scheme,  including  INSPIRE-MANAK  (Million Minds  Augmenting  National  Aspiration  and  Knowledge),  Scholarship  for Higher Education (SHE), INSPIRE Fellowship, and INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship, 475 students and researchers from Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli  districts  have  been  supported  with  fellowship  grants amounting to about Rs. 1.74 crore during the last five years.

Under the Technology Development Programme (TDP) of DST, R&D projects have  been  supported  to  develop  indigenous  technologies  and  translate proof-of-concepts  into  prototypes  in  areas  such  as  agro-technology  and sensors/devices. During the last five years, a total of Rs. 0.93 crore has been  sanctioned  to  2  academic  institutions  located  in  Perambalur  and Tiruchirappalli districts. Also, under Advanced Manufacturing Technologies  program  one  project  in  Tiruchirappalli  district  has  been sanctioned with a total cost of Rs. 0.45 crore. Under the Climate, Energy and  Sustainable  Technology  (CEST)  initiatives  of  DST,  6  projects  in  2 institutions have been supported in the region.

Through various schemes/programmes of ANRF-DST such as Core Research Grant, Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science, Inclusivity Research Grant, National Post Doctoral Fellowship (NPDF), National Science Chair, Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant, Ramanujan Fellowship, Start-up Research Grant, Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE) etc, a total of 88 projects/institutions have been supported with a total funding of about Rs. 25.98 crore during the last five years and the current year in Tiruchirappalli district. The Science and Heritage  Research  Initiative  (SHRI)  Cell  of  DST  has  also  supported  two projects in Tiruchirappalli district during the last five years.

Under  the  Department  of  Biotechnology  (DBT)  programmes,  namely Biotechnology  Research,  Innovation  and  Entrepreneurship  Development (Bio-RIDE), Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG), and Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (SEED) Fund, a total of 12 projects/startups have been supported in various institutes in

Tiruchirappalli district during the last five years, with a sanctioned cost of about Rs. 6.34 crore.

The  Council  of  Scientific  and  Industrial  Research  (CSIR),  under  its constituent laboratory Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai has undertaken 2 projects in Tiruchirappalli. The students from Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli region were also benefitted by the CSIR Jigyasa 2.0 program  conducted  by  CSIR-Central  Electrochemical  Research  Institute (CECRI),  Karaikudi.  About  126  students  have  been  part  of  the  program. Also,  through  the  CSIR  Integrated  Skill  Development  Program  a  total number  of  130  students  have  been  benefitted.  Two  companies  and  16 trainees from Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli region have been benefitted through  the  Central  Leather  Research  Institute  (CLRI),  Chennai  training programmes.

- (c)          The  Government  is  committed  to  strengthening  the  science, technology, and innovation ecosystem across the country, including in the districts of Perambalur and Tiruchirapalli. As per the proposal received, the Indian  Space  Research  Organisation  (ISRO)  has  established  a  Space Technology Incubation Centre (S-TIC) at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirapalli, to promote start-ups, encourage entrepreneurship among  students, and foster an academia-industry ecosystem in the space technology domain.

Under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog, a total of 27 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) in Tiruchirapalli district and 6 ATLs in Perambalur district  have  been  established  in  schools  to  enhance  the  innovation ecosystem at the school level.

The  Department  of  Science  and  Technology  (DST)  has  supported  the establishment of a Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park (STEP) at NIT  Tiruchirapalli,  and  under  it's  National  Mission  on  Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems, a Technology  Innovation Hub  on Sensors, Networking, Actuators, and Control Systems (SNACS) has been established at Indian Institute of technology, Madras. These hubs are strengthening innovation, incubation, translational research and entrepreneurship development in the region.

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