ISSN 0409-7467

CSIR NEWSCSIR NEWSCSIR NEWSCSIR NEWSProgress, Promise and Prospects

VOL 61 NO 21 & 22 NOVEMBER 2011

C O N T E N T S

website: http://www.csir.res.in

Convocation Address by DG-CSIR atNational Institute of Technology, Silchar

CLRI undertakes Capacity Buildingfor Ethiopian Leather Sector

C-NM5 Takes Off

NEIST organizes International Training Programme

CSIR Foundation Day Celebrations atLaboratories/Institutes

(CDRI, NBRI, NEERI and NEIST)

thThe 46 Convocation of Indo-SwissTraining Centre at CSIO, Chandigarh

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CLRI undertakes Capacity Building for Ethiopian Leather SectorThe Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, has forged a close relationship with the Government of Ethiopiain connection with the development as well as capacity building for the Ethiopian leather sector. The Institute has alreadybeen associated with three different projects, as mentioned below:

Bench Marking (Technology Upgradation) Programme inEthiopian Tanning Industry – Phase I

The Ministry of Trade and Industry(MoTI) of Federal Democratic Republicof Ethiopia (FDRE) had enrolled theservices of CLRI, Chennai, by invitationfor the Bench Marking Programmeaimed at Technology Upgradation ofselected seven Ethiopian tanneries.

The primary objective was totransform the Ethiopian tanning sectorthrough capacity building in selectedtanneries to enable them to producefinished leathers for International marketin competitive manner by improving theefficiency and effectiveness of theseunits. A four-party Agreement wasalready signed last year among CLRI,MoRI, MoCS and ELLPTI,Government of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. Prof. A.B. Mandal, Director,CLRI, signed the Agreement on behalfof CLRI.

The total cost of the Project wasUS $ 5.5. lakh (consultancy fee to CLRIwas US $ 3.1 lakh) for a duration ofsix months. CLRI Project Teamcomprising 20 experts drawn fromCLRI and Industry worked in theselected tanneries and madetechnological interventions aimed at thetransformation of selected units in theproduction of finished leathers forInternational market. The progress onthe Project was monitored at the highestlevel in the Ministry of Industry and

Trade and its monthly report wassubmitted to the Prime Minister ofEthiopia. The Project has beencompleted successfully and the successof this project fetched another similarproject (Phase II) for the benefit ofmore Ethiopian tanneries.

Prior to the interventions, thetanneries were producing predominantlysemi-processed leathers from sheep andgoat skins for export and poor qualityfinished leathers from bovine hides forleather product industries catering to thelocal market. After the conclusion of thePhase 1 Consultancy Project, thetechnology status in the selectedtanneries got upgraded for producingfinished leathers from sheep and goatskins with quality suitable for exportmarkets while the finished leathers frombovine hides had improved in its qualityto cater to the local market as well asfor export.

After the end of six months of suchdirect intervention, the Projectconcluded successfully. The SteeringCommittee chaired by the State Ministerfor Industry and Trade has expressedsatisfaction on the final outcome andrecommended for the continuation ofefforts in the Second Phase forstrengthening and sustainingtechnological capabilities in the seventanneries and for extending the benefitsto four more tanneries.

Products Developed in an Ethiopian Tannery

Prof. Dr. A.B. Mandal, Director, CLRI, signed the Agreement on behalf of CLRI

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The Federal Democratic Republic ofEthiopia is aiming at a giant leap in leatherand leather product sectors in line withthe National vision. Leather IndustryDevelopment Institute (LIDI) has beenestablished by the Govt. of Ethiopia

Bench Marking (Technology Upgradation) Programme inEthiopian Tanning Industry – Phase II

primarily to serve the leather and leatherproduct sectors of that country. In orderto contribute to the realization of theNational vision, LIDI needs to undergoa major transformation of becoming aglobally competitive centre of excellence

Based on the success achieved in theFirst Phase of the Bench MarkingProgramme for the TechnologyUpgradation of Tanning Sector inEthiopia, the Government of Ethiopiathrough their Ministry of Industryawarded another Consultancy Project toCLRI, Chennai for augmentation ofefforts made in the First Phase, as wellas to extend the Programme to morenumber of tanneries.

In the Second Phase, 11 tannerieswere selected including the seventanneries involved in the First Phase. Themain objective of the Second Phase ofthe Programme was capacity buildingin the 11 tanneries leading to self-sustainability in terms of competencebuilding in the areas of research &development, technical upgradation,product & quality standardization andproductivity enhancement with systemformulation and implementation forproduction of finished leathers forexport.

The Consultancy Project wascommissioned with a total cost of US$9.2 lakh (CLRI share of Consultancy Feewas US$ 3.08 lakh) with involvement

of 35 experts in the assignment over aperiod of six months. The Pojectcommenced in the month of February2011 and the benefits of interventionsare visible with the establishment of theEthiopian Tanning Industry as reliablesuppliers of quality finished leathers inthe International market. Many buyershave started booking orders for finishedleathers and products.

The tanneries have graduated intoexporters of finished leathers and sometanneries have now stopped exportingsemi-processed leathers. With thesuccess achieved in building

technological capabilities for theproduction of quality finished leathers forglobal market through the Programme,the Government is planning to introducelevying of duty for restricting the exportof semi-processed crust leathers to reapfully the benefits from the success ofthe Programme. There is an overallappreciation for CLRI for the successachieved, which has resulted in theaward of yet another contract for theInstitute for the Twinning arrangementfor capacity building in the EthiopianLeather Institute, Leather IndustriesDevelopment Institute (LIDI), Ethiopia.

Twinning Programme for Leather Industry DevelopmentInstitute (LIDI), Ethiopia

Signing of Agreement in February 2011

in the field of leather. The TwinningProject is structured, planned and willbe carried out taking into account theprincipal objective of transforming LIDI.The ultimate transformation wouldenhance LIDI’s capability to offer all the

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needed services and support for thewhole leather value chain. The majorobjectives of the Project are:• Creating and providing intellectual

and skilled manpower to cater to therequirements of the industry.

• Providing technical support in all thespheres of leather and leatherproduct sectors.

• Providing services to the industry

Agreement for Twinning Project in progress

The first flight of C-NM5 lasting 45minutes, which took place on 1September 2011 in Australia was asuccess and a moment of jubilation forthe joint NAL and M/s MahindraAerospace Pvt. Ltd (MAPL) team. Not only was the first flight a success,the subsequent four flights havebrought forth very encouragingfeedback from the test pilot, Mr. KeithEngelsman who has 8000+ hours offlying experience on 200 differentairplane makes and models: “Aircrafthas a solid comfortable feel whichinstills confidence in the pilot.” Also,the performance of the airplane is goodand is expected to meet or exceed thedesign targets.

Flight testing and evaluations arecontinuing, with the ultimate objectiveof achieving Type Certification inkeeping with International regulatory

C-NM5 Takes Off

such as testing, certification andestablishing norms or standards.

• Forecasting the global marketdynamics and preparing theEthiopian leather and leatherproducts sectors to meet the changingrequirements.

• Creating functional linkage among theindustry and R&D laboratories to startreal-time activities in research andtraining during the twinning period.Under the Leadership of Prof.

Dr. A. B. Mandal, Director, CLRI, acomprehensive proposal has been givenby CLRI for enabling LIDI to becomea globally competent centre. TheProposal envisages a twinning period ofthree years. The major areas coveredunder twinning are strengtheningacademic programmes of LIDI,

providing industrial consultancy in theareas of leather products through appliedresearch, establishing testing servicesbesides working in the area of humanresource development for the productsector through vocational programmes.

Footwear Design and DevelopmentInstitute (FDDI) has been identified asa partner for activities related to theareas of footwear and leather goods.CLRI would be the lead Institute underwhich FDDI shall carry out theactivities. The total project cost is 5.44million US$. While CLRI will have ashare of 3.54 million US$, FDDI will get1.9 million US$ for the above TwinningProject. A Tripartite Agreement wassigned among CLRI, LIDI and MoCS/ecbp, Govt of Ethiopia on 21 June 2011in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

standards, followed by globalsales and marketing programme.It is hoped to achieve FAR Part23 certification in about 9 to 12months under CASA inAustralia. This is the first public-privatejoint venture in the aircraft design anddevelopment in India.

The C-NM5 is a 5-seat all metalaircraft powered by a Lycoming IO-540 engine, and features non-retractable landing gear and a spaciouscabin with large access doors. Thecabin interior is reconfigurable to adaptthe aircraft to different roles, whilesimplicity of systems and ease ofmaintenance are design driversthroughout the aircraft.

The work on this Project startedduring 2006 when an MoU was signedbetween NAL and MAPL for the jointdevelopment of a five seat, multi-role,

general aviationairplane. Theairplane is to becertified underFAR 23 in the

Normal category. The USP of theairplane is a roomy cabin which cancomfortably seat five adults, and canalso be equipped to perform differentroles: air-taxi, a luxury four seater,training, casualty evacuation and ascargo carrier.

The NAL team holds the majorresponsibility in configuration design:starting from the preliminary sizing todetail design. Preliminary and CriticalDesign Reviews were carried outduring April 2009 and May 2010respectively, progressing to detaildesign drawings and tooling design.Several design improvements weremade during the process.

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However, fabrication of the Indianprototype could not commence due toprocedural delays related to NALacquiring a Production OrganizationApproval (POA) from the DGCA andthe implementation of QA proceduresat NAL as well as sub-contractorsfacilities.

Thanks to Mahindra Aerospace,

Iron-Nitrogen Doped Carbon Nanofiber asCathode for PEM Fuel Cell

Scientists at National ChemicalLaboratory (NCL), Pune havedemonstrated the construction of ironnitride-doped carbon nanofiber (CNF)as cathode for polymer electrolytemembrane (PEM) Fuel Cell. Theyeffectively utilized the slit pores andrough edges along the inner wall of CNFfor increasing the number of active sitesand consequently the oxygen reductionactivity.

PEM fuel cells or proton exchangemembrane fuel cells are suitable for bothtransportation and stationaryapplications. PEMFC has attracted agreat attention around the world in thepast decade because of their advantagessuch as being environment-friendly andhaving high-energy efficiency and powerdensity. Coupled with its low operatingtemperature and the resulting quickstart-up, PEMFC is regarded as an idealpower source for a zero-emissionvehicle.

Membrane electrode assembly orstack of PEMFC comprises theelectrodes (anode and cathode) catalyst,and polymer electrolyte membrane. Atpresent about one-third of the stack costis attributed to the cost of platinum

catalysts employed in the electrodes, themajority of which is used in the cathodeto catalyze the oxygen reductionreaction (ORR). It is a rate-determiningstep in fuel cell operation and is also thecause of reduced energy efficiency dueto a large associated over potential.Besides, the platinum catalyst hasdisadvantages such as sensitivity tocarbon monoxide poisoning, slow oxygenreduction reaction and dissolution underprolonged exposure to theelectrochemical operating environments.

The PEM fuel cells use platinumsupported active carbon catalysts, verythinly coated onto carbon paper or clothas an electrode. However, the high costof current platinum/carbon catalysts hasbeen considered as the major stumblingblock in realizing commercially viablePEMFCs in the energy market.

Significant efforts have been takenin either reducing the platinum by meansof using core-shell systems or completeremoval of platinum from the catalystlayer. To remove platinum, many non-platinum catalyst systems have beenproposed. Among them, transition metal(Fe, Co) based chelates supported oncarbon show better catalytic activity

towards ORR than the other non-noblecatalyst systems.

Recently, nitrogen-doped carbonnanostructures showed encouragingcatalytic activity towards ORR both ascatalyst support and catalyst, althoughthe activity was limited by the availabilityof nitrogen. The increased catalyticactivity is attributed to the presence ofelectron donating nitrogen atoms andhigher exposure of edge planes. Thisprompted Dr. Sreekumar and hiscolleague from Physical and MaterialsChemistry Division at NCL to constructa composite based on iron nitride, themost active non-noble metal catalystsystem, with CNF due to the availabilityof highly exposed edge planes.

C-NM5

who in the due course acquired majorstakes in GippsAero of Australia: itwas then decided to progress theprototype fabrication in Australia. Ittook just over ten months to build andfly the prototype under the experimentalaircraft category starting from thedrawings supplied by NAL andMAPL.

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One of the flagship programmes of CSIRtoday — the CSIR-800 initiative — isall geared up to improving the socio-economic status of 800 million people inthe country who are at the bottom ofthe pyramid of life. The focus of thisinitiative is to bring S&T interventionsin the areas of health, agriculture, andenergy resulting in equitable and inclusivegrowth. One such classic example of theproper utilization of a CSIR technologyfor the economic empowerment of ruralIndia is the cultivation of superiorvarieties of mint, commonly calledpudina.

Menthol mint (Mentha arvensis)cultivated in the Indo-Gangetic plains ofNorth India is today a major industrialcrop, thanks to CSIR for providingfarmers with high oil-yielding superiorvarieties of the mint plant. Farmers inthe Terai regions of the Himalayas arenow minting money with these oil-yielding mint plants. More than 400,000hectares of land are being used tocultivate the many new varieties of mintdeveloped by CSIR scientists. Thesepest-resistant and high oil-yieldingvarieties have been adopted bythousands of farmers, as they areearning their livelihood through mintcultivation. Not just that. India has nowattained the distinction of being thelargest exporter of menthol mint and itsoil, displacing China to second position.

The mint plant is an aromatic herbthat is distributed all over the globe.Belonging to the Lamiaceae family,several species and hybrid varieties ofmint are known today. This herb grows

Menthol Mint Spreads the Smell of CSIR’s SuccessDr. P. Cheena Chawla

very fast in cool, moist soils and preferspartial shade. Mint leaves can beharvested any time and used fresh ordried. These highly aromatic leaves arean important ingredient of many kitchenrecipes like chutneys, jellies, syrups,beverages and even candies and icecreams. Moreover, the mint oil ispopularly used in breath freshners,mouth rinses, toothpastes, shampoos,chewing gums and also chocolates. Italso finds use as an important essentialoil in aromatherapy. Besides havingculinary and cosmetic uses, mint hasmedicinal properties as it veryeffectively treats stomachaches. Mint oilalso serves as an insecticide for it cankill common pests like wasps, ants andcockroaches!

On distillation, the stem and leavesof mint yield an essential oil that containsa large number of aromatic chemicalslike menthol, menthone, isomenthone,menthofuran, carvone, linalool, linalylacetate and piperitenone oxide. Theessential oil composition of mint speciesis greatly influenced by the interactionbetween the plant genotype andenvironment, besides the method ofdistillation, kind of storage, crop age, timeof harvest, and season. The time ofharvest, in general, has a close relationto the yield and quality of oil. Studieshave been done to examine the effectsof crop age on the content and qualityof essential oils produced by differentvarieties of commercially cultivated mintspecies.

CSIR scientists at the CentralInstitute of Medicinal and Aromatic

Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow have workedextensively for developing bettervarieties of mint, and many of the newgenotypes have been patented.Normally, mint species are infested byinsect pests, particularly polyphagouslepidopteran insect called the HairyCaterpillar (Spilarctia obliqua).Development of insect tolerantgenotypes of mint is, therefore, veryimportant in terms of food security. Inthis context, a highly insect-tolerant mintvariety named Sambhav of Menthaarvensis was developed by applying themethod of in vitro manipulation.

Sambhav variety of mint hasdemonstrated conspicuous advantage ofhaving just 10% or less damagecompared to more than 50-60 % damagein other mint varieties under naturalinfestation conditions of the insect, S.obliqua and in the absence ofinsecticidal spray of the plant. Moreover,Sambhav demonstrates vigorousgrowth as its canopy assumes a diameterof about 85-90 cm in just 110 days. Theaverage yield is about two quintals ofherbage per 100 sq. metre area. Theyield of menthol oil, about 0.8%, is alsovery high in Sambhav.

Ganga is a multi-utility variety ofspearmint, Mentha spicata, developedby CIMAP scientists. This mint varietyis unique and distinct from other existingvarieties as it not only has culinary usebut is also biocompatible by being a safesource of agro-protectants. This varietyof mint is a novel in vitro selection froma tissue culture raised population of themolecular variants of mint collected from

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the bank of river Ganga. It grows welleven on the plains and can be maintainedthroughout the year. The freshlyharvested leaves can be used for routineculinary purposes. The oil extracted fromthis variety is an agro-protectant, as itexhibits anti-insect activity against mostof the insect pests that infest storedgrains like flour beetle, pulse beetle,lesser grain borer and rice weevil.

Damroo is a dual-purpose varietyof menthol mint, M. arvensis. It is notonly a stable and high oil yielding mintgenotype but is also capable of producingmore viable seeds. This high seed yieldingmint also shows a better tolerance toleaf spot, rust and powdery mildewdiseases. Damroo mint yields essentialoils containing 78-80 % menthol and 12-17 % isomenthone. Besides, this varietyis also capable of retaining homogeneityin population for plant traits despite out-crossing within the population.

Neerkalka is a hybrid mint plantdeveloped by CIMAP scientists byemploying sexual crossing betweenMentha arvensis and Mentha spicata.The hybrid is grown vegetatively bysuckers or stem cuttings and is suitablefor commercial cultivation. Neerkalkahas high oil yield and shows combinedcharacteristics typical of both M.arvensis and M. spicata. It retains the

profuse growth habit of M. arvensiswhile expresses the carvone type mintoil characteristic of M. spicata. Its oilis rich in carvone (64-76%) and limolene(6.8-23%). This imparts the oil a pleasantsmell of both carvone and menthol usefulin medicinal and aromatic preparations.With about 0.8% oil in the fresh herb,Neerkalka produces about102 kg oil perhectare. These agonomic traits makeNeerkalka suitable for commercialcultivation. Neerkalka is also tolerantto leaf spot, rust and powdery mildewdiseases.

The per capita productivity of asuperior variety ‘Kosi’, developed byCSIR scientists, has enabled farmers totake this crop as a bonus between Rabiand Kharif. It is believed that over3,00,000 farming families grow this cropregularly contributing 75-80% globalproduction of menthol mint oil that bringsthem a profit of about Rs. 75,000 perhectare in about 6 months or twoharvests. India has attained globalleadership in the production and supplyof menthol mint oil generating additionalemployment opportunities to the extentof about 4 crores man days per annum.

Saksham is a high menthol yieldingvariety of mint selected by CIMAPscientists by screening a population ofM. arvensis somaclones in in vitro

culture. The mint genotype, Himalayawas used as the parental stock for largescale screening of in vitro raisedplantlets to select clones tolerant to highmenthol concentration in the culturemedium. The selected clone, whentested in field, produced very highmenthol per unit biomass and thusemerged as a superior genotype suitablefor large-scale commercial cultivation.Scientists even conducted comparativefield evaluation trials for assessinggrowth and yield traits using availablevarieties of mint namely, Himalaya,Kosi and Kalka. The selected clone,named Saksham yielded very highmenthol (83%)and produced net 22.6%higher menthol over the best varietyKosi. It also yielded more essential oil(0.82%) per unit biomass.

Another variety of mentha called asCIM-Indus contains Menthofuran (3,6-dimethyl-4,5,6,7 tetrahydrocoumarone),which is one of the major aromaticconstituents of the essential oil extractedfrom the leaves of Mentha piperita.Menthofuran is important in theformulation of certain synthesizedessential oils, such as peppermint oil. Thisaromatic component is an expensivechemical compound having limitedavailability as the plant normallyproduces 0 to 6% menthofuran. This

CIM-Indus Mentha piperita/Peppermint (CIM-Madhuras) Menthol mint (Mentha arvensis)

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The Autonomous Vertical Profiler (AVP)is a patented (US Patent #6,786,087)technology development of the MarineInstrumentation Group at the NationalInstitute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa.By design, the AVP floats vertically onthe sea surface, and when in motion it ispropelled in a downward direction by abrushless underwater motor run at aconstant speed. As safety measures, anecho sounder is mounted on its nosecone to detect the seabed and it istrimmed to make it lightly buoyant so asto ascend without propulsion after adive.

The profiler carries wet sensors ofsalinity, temperature, chlorophyll-a,turbidity, and Dissolved Oxygen (DO).On breaking sea surface, the AVPtransmits acquired high resolution(< 10 cm) time stamped sensor profileswith its GPS coordinates over a highspeed RF (Radio Frequency) link tousers in a nearby ship/trawler or bysatellite modem to a shore laboratory atNIO, Goa. A Graphical User Interface(GUI) enables the laptop user to checksystem health, sensor values and toconfigure a mission for single dives or

NIO’s Autonomous Vertical ProfilerSuccessfully Tested to 200 m in the Arabian Sea

for multiple unsupervised dives that offeradequate statistics on the variability ofprofile shape. The AVP is attached to athin nylon tether that ensures recovery,but is loose enough to decouple it fromship or platform movements. Theprofiler has important applications inEnvironmental Monitoring of Coastalwaters and in related Impact Assessmentstudies. Apart from extensive use incoastal waters, it has been used withoutchanges in estuaries, fresh waterreservoirs and dams for rapid time seriesprofiling of these water bodies.

The technology development teamcomprised Elgar Desa (Project Leader),R. Madhan, G. Navelkar, N. Dabholkar,S. Prabhudesai, Pramod Maurya, A.Mascarenhas and S. Afzulpurkar. TheProject was funded by the Ministry ofCommunications and InformationTechnology, New Delhi. Deep watertests and anoxia at 200 m have beendone. The AVP was tested to itsmaximum designed depth of200m in the shelf waters of the Arabiansea during cruise SSK 009 on CRVSindhu Sankalp.

Multiple dives to 200 m were made

on the 12 Dec 2010 at Lat N 15 deg9.59' , Long E 72 deg 57.10. As a spinoff to the tests, the AVP detected anoxiato ~1 µM at depths close to 200 m. Thiswas confirmed by chemical analysis ofDO water sample analysis. Anoxiadetected as late as mid-December isunexpected and at locations well beforethe shelf break.

Testing AVP in the Arabian Sea

compound is used in cosmetic, flavouringand pharmaceutical industries. The CIM-Indus yields about 72 kg oil in twoharvests in a year having about 27%menthofuran content and about 15%pulegone content. Another highmenthofuran containing mint genotypeis CIMAP-Patra, which has beendeveloped by CIMAP and is an idealcandidate for commercial utilization.

Similarly mentha variety, Anant

per hectare.Touching the lives of rural masses

through S&T interventions, the storyof cultivating superior varieties ofmint by Indian farmers unquestionablyproves that CSIR-800 initiative isall set to transform rural India bybringing equitable and inclusivegrowth, that is reflected in enhancingthe socio-economic status of the ruralpopulace.

Carvomint is very rich in carvone,which is also an essential oil. A yetanother variety of sweet smellingPeppermint (Mentha piperita),christened CIM-Madhuras, producescharacteristic essential oil havingmedicinal, therapeutic and beverageproperties. In an evaluation trial ofCIM-Madhuras, the estimated oilyield was indicated to be 107 kg basedon the data of two harvests in a year

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Training Programme on Biofuels for Nepal Delegation Organized byCMERI Centre of Excellence for Farm Machinery, Ludhiana

A two-day Training Programme cumWorkshop on Biofuels was organizedat CMERI Centre of Excellence forFarm Machinery (erstwhile MERADO),Ludhiana for Nepal Delegation on 20-21 June 2011. A total of 11 participants

Dr. A.R. Upadhya, Director, NationalAerospace Laboratories (NAL) laid thefoundation stone for the Micro AirVehicle Aerodynamic Research Tunnel(MART) at NWTC campus.

The low Reynolds number regimeis significant in that it projects afundamental shift in physical behaviourat MAV scales and speeds – anenvironment more common to thesmallest birds and the largest insects.Basic understanding of theaerodynamics encountered here is verymuch limited. Neither the range, payloadand performance of bees and wasps, northe agility of the dragonfly is predictablewith established high-Reynolds numberaerodynamics traditionally used inaircraft aerodynamic design.

The laminar and transitional natureof the flow, the propulsive induced flowon larger part of the wing, theaerodynamic behaviour due to theflexibility in the wing, effect of unsteadyaerodynamics in the case of flappingwing are some of the aspects to bestudied in the wind tunnel.

MART would address all theaerodynamics, propulsion and aeroelastic issues using advanced

Micro Air Vehicle Aerodynamic Research Tunnelinvestigating tools like low-load forcebalances, MEMs-based pressure andshear sensors, optical flow diagnostics(LDV, PIV, VIC, V3V) etc. The openjet type test section would provide theadvantage of studies related to flappingand rotary wings. The gust generationmechanism would help in studyingstability and aero elasticity issues inMAVs.

The following areas are theproposed research areas in this windtunnel — Low Reynolds Number Flows,Laminar Separation Bubble, FlexibleWings, Propulsive Induced Flows,Propeller Characterization, UnsteadyAerodynamics, Gust Response, ControlSurface Effectiveness and FlowControl.

Recently Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Dr. V. J.Sundaram, Advisor, Micro and NanoSystem formally inaugurated the newMAV Work Centre-1 at NWTCcampus. The dignitaries and inviteeswere taken around and shown thevarious activities planned in this workcenter. The MAVs designed anddeveloped as a part of NAL-ADEproject on Fixed Wing MAV wereshown. Various others research &development activities like the two-kg

class mini UAVs, pulse jet engine,hotwire foam cutting CNC machine,wind tunnel MAV models, 2-D airfoilsmoke flow visualization in the0.2m × 0.2 m research tunnel, flappingwing static demonstration, propellercharacterization test rig, flight simulator,three axis motion simulator, MEMSevaluation board, inertial measurementunit were explained and demonstratedto the dignitaries. Real-time video froma high -resolution camera mounted on aHex-rotor UAV was demonstrated asa part of the event.

The event was concluded by somenostalgic remarks from Gen. Sundaramon the genesis of MAV Programme andits present status. He also told that theMAV Programme has reached thecurrent height in India because of theparticipation of NAL in the key milestoneevents at MAV-08 held in Agra andINDUS MAV at Bangalore. Dr. A. R.Upadhya appreciated the entire effortput by NAL team on the MAVprogramme over the years andstressed on the development ofindigenous technology for the futureNano Air Vehicle program. Theprogram ended with a Vote of Thanksby Dr. G. Ramesh.

from Nepal Planning Commission,Ministry of Environment, Ministry ofAgriculture, Ministry of Forest, Ministryof Finance, Alternate Energy PromotionCentre and Nepal Oil Corporationattended the Programme.

Dr. Krishnendu Kundu, Scientistgave lectures and hands-on training tothe participants on different aspects ofbiofuels including plantation, oil expelling,process optimization, production,economics, biogas production from

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deoiled cake of jatropha, biodiesel fromalgae etc. The participants werepractically shown the production ofbiodiesel from pilot plant.

They acknowledged the usefulnessof this training for implementing biodiesel

programme in Nepal. In Nepal, BiofuelProgramme is in its initial stage.

During the Concluding Session, Cdr.V. R. Dahake, Scientist-In-Chargeexpressed the Centre’s willingness totake part in formulation and

Training Programme on Sericulture for Healthy Larvae andProduction of Quality Muga Silk Organized by IICT, Hyderabad in

collaboration with NEIST, JorhatUnder CSIR RSW-NET Program (XIFive Year Plan), a three-day TrainingProgramme on, Sericulture for HealthyLarvae and Production of QualityMuga Silk for Socio-EconomicDevelopment in North East India wasorganized during 25-27 July 2011 by theIndian Institute of Chemical Technology(IICT), Hyderabad in collaboration withNorth East Institute of Science andTechnology (NEIST), Jorhat for themuga sericulture farmers of SivasagarDistrict Assam.

The Training Programme waschaired by Dr. P. G. Rao, Director,NEIST. The other dignitaries on the daiswere Prof. U.S.N. Murty, Projectcoordinator & Chief Scientist, IICT

Dr. P. G. Rao, Director,NEIST; Prof. U. S.N. Murty,IICT; Dr. B. G. Unni, NEIST;Dr. R. K. Rajan, Director,CMER & TI; Mr. V. Phukan,Project Director of DRDASivasagar and Mr. ShankarDas of NABARD, Sivasagarduring the InaugurationFunction

implementation of Alternate EnergyPromotion Programme in Nepal. Thedelegates showed keen interest toinclude CMERI as one of theconsultants for Biofuel DevelopmentProgramme in Nepal.

Hyderabad; Dr. B. G. Unni, ChiefScientist, NEIST, Jorhat; Dr. R. K.Rajan, Director, Central Muga EriResearch & Training Institute,Lahdoigarh; Mr. V. Phukan, ProjectDirector, DRDA, Sivasagar and Mr.Shankar Das of NABARD, Sivasagar.

Dr. Unni welcomed all the farmers,NGOs and self-help groups and

highlighted about the TrainingProgramme and sericultureimprovement in the North East. Dr. P.G. Rao, Director, NEIST in his addresssummarized that the main objective ofsuch programmes under CSIR RSW-NET is to disseminate the latesttechnologies on sericulture in the NorthEast as well as to increase of socio-

TRAINING PROGRAMMES

Training Programme cum Workshop on Biofuels in progress A view of the participants

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economic status of sericulture farmersby utilizing these technologies developedat IICT, NEIST and CSB. Heacknowledged the full support renderedby CMER & TI and NABARD to helpthe farmers to take up sericulture astheir regular source of incomegeneration.

Muga Heal formulation for controlof flacherie disease in silkwormdeveloped at NEIST was distributed toall the farmers. The meeting ended witha Vote of Thanks offered by Dr. B.G.Unni, Coordinator of the TrainingProgramme. As one of the resourcepersons who imparted the TrainingProgramme to farmers, Dr. B. G. Unnitalked about the bio-formulation ofTerminalia chebula and application ofbacterial formulations to increase thequality of silk as well as the host plantand bamboo cage for production ofquality cocoons.

Prof. U.S.N. Murty spoke on thecontributions of IICT in propagatingsericulture in different parts of India,giving an overview of the SamadhanKendra and its possible usages in ruraldevelopment. He also described thetechnology developed by Lipid and OilDivision of IICT on silkworm pupal oilproduction for self-employment andincome generation. Dr. Sunil Mishra, Farmers along with resource persons, NGOs and self-help groups at Sivasagar district, Assam

Scientist, IICT delivered his talk onvarious pests and gave information ondiseases affecting the mulberry plant,their early diagnosis and low-costsilkworm incubation chamber formaintaining the temperature andhumidity during early stage of silkwormrearing.

Dr. K. Das Scientist, CMER & TI,Lahdoigarh summarized about thevarious diseases that occurs in silkwormand their management during rearing.Mr. Kartik Neog, Scientist CMER & TI,Lahdoigarh spoke on the production ofquality leaves and their management. Mr.Sankar Das from NABARD, Sivasagardiscussed the various financing rules fortaking up of muga sericulture and variousschemes to obtain loans and supportfrom NABARD.

Dr. P. G. Rao, Director, NEIST, Jorhat distributing theMuga Heal formulation to the farmersFarmers on field visit in non-farm and farm sectors of muga culture at CMER & TI, Lahdoigarh

Finally, an interactive session wasconducted between the farmers, NGOs,Self- help group with all the resourcepersons from IICT, NEIST, CMER &TI, NABARD, SIRD in which farmers’problems were discussed in differentsectors of muga sericulture andfinancial support from local bodies likeNABARD & SIRD was explored. Thefarmers expressed their satisfaction onthe Training Programme and showedenthusiasm for taking up muga culturein a big way. A field visit demonstrationwas also arranged for the trainedfarmers at CMER & IT, Lahdoigarh onthe farm and non-farm sectors. In theend, the farmers expressed theirgratefulness to all the resource personsand to CSIR for conducting suchTraining Programmes.

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TRAINING PROGRAMMES

NBRI Organizes Farmers’ Training Programme on,Adoption of Innovative Rural Technologies

National Botanical ResearchInstitute (NBRI), Lucknow,in collaboration with theDepartment of Agriculturethrough RSP project ofCSIR, New Delhi organizeda one-day Farmers’ TrainingProgramme on, Applicationof Microbial Biofertilizersfor Enhanced Productivityand Quality Improvement ofAgriculture Production, forfarmers of village Kalli(West) situated on Rae Bareli Road,Lucknow.

While inaugurating the Programme,Dr. Rita Bahuguna Joshi emphasizedthat the role of rural women will be mostimportant for the future of agriculturein Uttar Pradesh. She also appreciatedthe efforts of Dr. Chandra ShekharNautiyal, Director, NBRI for hissignificant contributions over the last 30years like invention and development oflow-cost microbial biofertilisers thatrejuvenated agriculture soils of not onlyUttar Pradesh but many other Statesof India covering more than 250 lakhhectares.

Dr. Nautiyal introduced his visionabout the need-based catering of ruralsector by transferring innovative ruraltechnologies developed by his team ofscientists to farmers covering core areaslike microbial fertilizers, commercialfloriculture, dry flower technology,medicinal plant cultivation, herbaltechnology and environment health.The Programme Coordinator, Dr. MridulShukla discussed several issues with

farmers and informed them thatmicrobial fertilizers are available atsubsidized rates and they can immenselybenefit by adopting low-cost farmingpractices of organic cultivation that willgradually improve the organic matter ofsoil and also enhance the yield of foodgrain production.

Other distinguished scientists fromthe Institute, like Dr A. K. Goyaldemonstrated techniques of commercialfloriculture and dry flower technologyas an innovative source of income.Dr. R. S. Katiyar, intro-duced methods ofcommercial vegetableproduction and invitedfarmers to Banthrafarm site, whereseveral demonstrationtrials on diversifiedagriculture are shown.Dr R. S. Chaurasiaintroduced farmersabout the methods oflow-cost soil manage-ment. Dr. A. K. S.

Rawat introduced farmersabout commercial productionof medicinal plants andemphasized the role ofmedicinal plants in curingseveral human diseases.

Dr. Nandita Singhinformed farmers about therole of restoration ofagriculture ecosystem. Dr.Sanjay Dwivedi and Dr.Poonam Singh urged the ruralwomen to encourage men for

adopting easy technologies for raisingthe socio-economic status of theirfamilies. Dr. Mridul Shukla emphasizedthe role of indicator plants in identifyingsoil, water and air pollution so that earlyremediation steps can be taken. Mr. AnilKumar, Mr. Sumit Yadav and Mr.Shashank demonstrated variousmethods of microbial biofertilizersapplication.

An exhibition, during this one-dayTraining Programme, showing theproduction of microbial fertilizers,

A view of the dais at the Inaugural Function

An exhibition, showcasing rural technologies, organizedduring the Training Programme

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vermicomposting, soil testing, dry flowertechnology, indicator plants forenvironmental pollution and medicinalplant-based herbal products helped

farmers in learning all these ruraltechnologies. The rural youth alsoactively participated in the Programme.In the end, microbial fertilizers and

information booklets were distributedfree of cost to registered farmers and ateam was constituted for providingfeedback to the Institute.

North East Institute of Science andTechnology, Jorhat in collaboration withthe Agricultural Research DevelopmentAgency (ARDA), Thailand jointlyorganized an intensive internationalTraining Programme on “ProjectAssessment Programme on Researchto Marketable Product andBioinformatics” during 5-15 July 2011at NEIST. A total of four officials fromARDA-Thailand, two research fellowsfrom Nigeria under CSIR-TWASfellowship at NEIST and one researchscholar from Egypt working at NEIST

NEIST organizes International Training Programmeparticipated in the Training Programme.The resource persons for the trainingincluded personnels from CSIR andAssam Agricultural University, Jorhat.They were namely Dr. A. Garg, ChiefScientist and Dr. A. S. Naidu, ChiefScientist (Retd.) from CLRI, Chennai,Dr. C. N. Saikia, Chief Scientist (Retd.),NEIST and Dr. Madhumita Baruah,Professor, Assam AgriculturalUniversity along with other existingscientists from NEIST. This TrainingProgramme was a follow-up initiativeof the MoU signed between NEIST,

Jorhat and ARDA, Thailand on 23 June2011. Apart from undertaking jointresearch, the objectives of the MoUincludes exchange of research students,organizing joint seminars and technologydevelopment/transfer etc.

The activities of the training includedindustrial visits to businessestablishments of NEIST entrepreneurs,hands-on training on bioinformatics, visitto different divisions of NEIST, visit tolaboratories in and around Jorhat like TeaExperimental Station (TRA), AssamAgricultural University and Rain Forest

Research Institute etc. As apart of the Programme, theparticipants were taken onvisit to a Thai village at Titaborwhere they got the opportunityto exchange cultural practiceswith the local members of thecommunity.

On 16 July 2011 thetrainees were awardedcertificates at a Functionheld at MS Iyenger Hall,NEIST. The certificateawarding Function startedwith Welcome Address byDr. R. C. Boruah, Scientist,NEIST. The Prog-rammewas attended by Mr PatinyaLuangthongkum, DeputyDirector, Ms SiwapornDarnwachira, Audit Officer of

(Clock-wise from top left)Dr R. C. Boruah (left), Scientist,delivering his talk during theTechnical Session. Dr P. G. Rao,Director, NEIST, distributingcertificates to the trainees as MrPatinya Luangthongkum (extremeleft), Deputy Director, ARDA, lookson. Group photograph after thecertificate distribution ceremony

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Being Future ReadyProf. Gautam Barua, Chairman, BOG,Prof. P. K. Bose, Director, otherdignitaries, Members of the Senate,Members of the Academic Council, allfaculty members, distinguished invitees,students graduating today, ladies andgentlemen, I am extremely happy to behere today, addressing young people whoare graduating from the NationalInstitute of Technology, Silchar, one ofthe leading Technology Institutes in India.

NIT, Silchar is one of the oldestengineering colleges in the North-Eastern region. REC Silchar, as it wasknown previously, is now an Institute ofNational Importance in India.

I am truly honoured to be standinghere to deliver my address. I amespecially glad to be here because I havebeen closely associated with North Eastas one of the CSIR laboratory, NEISTis located in Jorhat and has otherextension centres in North-East. NEISThas MoU with University of Silchar insome areas of interest.

NEIST Scientists are co-guides withthe Faculties of Assam University,

Anticipating the FutureHowever, before I explain that trend, Ihave to ask the question, “What is thefuture?”

To answer that I will share with you,in brief, the major turning points of myscientific career that saw quantumjumps because of massive changes inthe world of science, particularly in theway science was being done. Thechanging face of the future is somethingthat I have been witness to. I was readyfor it. I bring this up because you tooare lucky enough to be at a similarcrossroad today.

The inexorable evolution of Sciencewas driven, in the 20

th century, first by

the engine of Physics and then,Chemistry. These disciplines werefollowed by high throughput and IT-enabled Biology, as a driver, in latertimes.

In my life, I have been fortunateenough to begin my scientific career inthe field of Chemistry in the late 1960sand the early 1970s and subsequently,to find myself in a position to share inthe excitement of the developments that

Convocation AddressNational Institute of Technology (NIT), Silchar

Prof. Samir K. BrahmachariDirector-General, CSIR

Silchar and NEIST Jorhat researchfellows are being registered in AssamUniversity, Silchar for the award ofPh.D. Degree.

Thus CSIR has close associationswith Silchar and I am aware of thecontributions of NIT Silchar. It is thesecontributions of National Institute ofTechnology in the system which bearstestimony to its forward-looking visionand the foresightedness. I think all ofyou should be proud to have NIT Silcharas your alma mater.

As you graduate today you will bethinking about the future! What will bethe new market opportunities or futureresearch trends that you shouldanticipate and follow.

TRAINING PROGRAMMES/CONVOCATIONS

ARDA, Thailand in the presence of thesenior scientists of NEIST apart fromthe trainees. Dr. P. G. Rao, Director,NEIST in his speech mentioned thatScience is without boundaries, andknowledge must translate and percolatefor the benefit of humanity. The trainees

expressed their gratitude to be a part ofthe Training Programme and also spokeabout the benefits they derived.

The participant trainees submitteda report of the training received andassessment about the Programme.The trainees were awarded certificates

on the completion of the TrainingProgramme along with ‘Training Notes’.Mr Patinya and Ms Siwapornof ARDA, Thailand expressedgratitude to, NEIST for organizing theprogramme.

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CONVOCATIONS

took place in Biology. I was able to usecomputation as a tool for futurediscoveries when my interest shiftedfrom Molecular Biology toBioinformatics and now, Genomics.

I was lucky to have been at theright place at the right time even as theface of the future changed. Today weare at the cusp of another huge changeand you too must be ready to ride thiswave of change.

Fourth Paradigm of ScienceWe are actually witnessing the adventof what has been described by thepioneering Computer scientist Jim Gray,as the “Fourth Paradigm” in Science.The Fourth Paradigm of Science is basedon data-intensive curetting.

The Fourth Paradigm is not justabout huge amounts of scientific dataand the computational systems neededto handle it. It also calls for experts indifferent fields — biologists, chemists,physicists, astronomers, engineers etc.It demands sophisticated tools,technologies, and platforms thatintegrate seamlessly. Crisply put, itconsists of three activities: Capture,Curation and Analysis.

The Fourth Paradigm of science hasnot happened overnight in a single jump.It is actually the result of the path thatscientific discovery has taken over theages.

There are distinct stages in theevolution of modern Science. From beingcuriosity-driven in ancient times, itgraduated to becoming hypothesis-experimentation dependent and thenmoved on to a phase where modellingand simulation studies shared thespotlight. These distinct stages have

been referred to as the First, the Secondand the Third Paradigms of Science,respectively. The arrival of the FourthParadigm is demonstrated in the largescale analysis of data such as wascarried out during the sequencing of theHuman Genome and the futuristic 1000Genome Project.

The Fourth Paradigm of Science hastransmuted the way Science is beingdone. In turn, this has fuelled the needfor a totally new generation of scientiststo address the burning issues of today;from Healthcare to Earth System andClimate Change; from Data Generationto Data Analysis. We will be movinginto an era of smart grid, to smartbuilding, to smart city, eventually a smartworld. World will get transformed intoa giant web of billions of interactingpeople.

This is the time to energize themulti-talented young generation totransform the healthcare of tomorrow.It will mean exploring innovativesolutions such as crowd sourcing andcloud computing. It will involve globalcollaborations, at local levels, to provideAffordable Healthcare to all.

Crowd Sourcing: The New MantraIn the Fourth Paradigm of science thenew mantra is crowd-sourcing. It isdiametrically different from the classicalor traditional methods of collaboration.The conventional model of collaborationand cooperation involves interacting witha person(s) whom you know.

However, crowd-sourcing takes theapproach to an entirely new, almostcounter-intuitive level by outsourcingcollaborative tasks to an undefined groupof people or community who share the

required expertise and interest. It is amodel where you take a big problem thatyou want to solve and look in cyberspacefor people willing to cooperate with you.The underlying principle is enablingparticipatory efforts of people who maynot even be acquainted with each other.In crowd-sourcing lies the future ofscience education and research. This isScience 2.0. This is the way all sciencewill be done in the future.

Power of NetworkingCrowd-sourcing is an enormousnetworking exercise. Take for example,Facebook. As in January 2011,Facebook had 600 million active users.(source Wikipedia). You may think of theactive users as cyber citizens of the‘largest country’ of the connected world.Can you even imagine what is thecombined intellectual power of all thecyber citizens of this connected world?Can you find a way to use this powerfor good? How do you find out who hasdone what and who is interested in thesame sort of work that interests you?How can you solve the problem of thefuture by working together?

This is where the concept of crowd-sourcing comes in. It is a very powerfultool that is just emerging. In the field ofscience, health science, to be exact; amodel has already emerged in India andwe can show this by example.

Open Source DrugDiscovery Project The Open Source Drug DiscoveryProject (OSDD) is CSIR-led TeamIndia consortium with global partnershipthat seeks to deliver affordableHealthcare to all. Drug discovery is an

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Enterprises, the 4th Census of MSMESector shows that this sector employsan estimated 59.7 million persons spreadover 26.1 million enterprises. It isestimated that in terms of value, MSMEsector accounts for about 45% of themanufacturing output and around 40%of the total export of the country. Canyou estimate just how rich the future ofMSMEs can be when crowd sourcingtakes off in a big way?

Preparing for the FutureJust spotting a trend is not enough; youhave to actively anticipate the future. So,it is clear that commercial innovation bycrowd sourcing will need a certainframework. First of all it will need aportal for interfacing. It could be a portallike the one that OSDD has. The OSDDportal SysBorg 2.0 is the Web 3.0 systemand cyber-infrastructure forcollaborative research. The portalcontains resources to effectivelyorganize collaborations and tools toeffectively mine and analyze theinformation collated by the OSDDcommunity.

Then again, the manufacturingprocess has to be streamlined. A productthat can be broken down into modularpieces can be manufactured by smallenterprises and then these can beassembled at different locations therebycreating a virtual network of industriesthat create products to competesuccessfully with big companies.

This is the advantage that crowdsourcing can provide as compared to theconventional ways of collaboration.Those industries that can positionthemselves to optimally use this systemwill be the ones to take the lead inmarket’s future space. The future

winners will be those who caninnovatively tap into this emergingsystem.

Choose your PathAll of you graduating today belong towhat I call the “post-Maruti era.” Bypost-Maruti era, I mean that you havebeen lucky enough to be born into anIndia which gives you many options. Youwill have plenty of job opportunities anda multitude of products to choose from.In our time, we did not have options.Your future will be determined by thechoices you make. It will depend on thepath you choose to take. The actions youtake will decide the course your life willtake.

I wish that you will realize that inIndia we have a large middle/upper classto which those of us assembled heretoday, belong. However, there is anotherIndia –a large number of hungry millionswho live at the bottom of the pyramid oflife. The use to which you putintellectual capability that you have andthe educational training that you havereceived may make a huge differencein their lives.

It is a great challenge for this greatnation of ours. In 2022…that is in just alittle over a decade we will be celebratingthe 75

thAnniversary of our

independence. The question is: How dowe want to see India in 2022?India@75? Will it remain the same Indiaas in 2011 where hungry millions go tosleep without a roof over their heads inthe biting cold of Delhi’s winter or shiveras they are drenched by the torrentialMumbai monsoon? Will we still have anIndia where millions of children aredeprived of access to education andmillions of homes remain without light?

CONVOCATIONS

extremely complex process and aspecialized job. Yet in just two years,OSDD has mobilized resources fromacross the globe.

On 24 January 2011, OSDD hadmore than 4500 registered users from130 countries. As you can see OSDDcan be said to be an educational systemthat effectively uses very high-endstudent power, engages top laboratoriesof the world and uses crowd sourcingto pursue the goal of AffordableHealthcare for all. OSDD is only thebeginning.

Future of Crowd SourcingCrowd sourcing does not have to remainconfined to specialized or niche areasof S&T. Crowd-sourcing can be apowerful tool for commercial innovationtoo. It will definitely branch out from theOpen Innovation Model exemplified byOSDD to another type more suited forBusiness models. This could be calledClosed Innovation Model, which will bedone exclusively by Industry.

The future shape of the globalIndustry may well be shaped by crowd-sourcing. Even today, it is obvious thatthe conventional model of manufacturinga product at a given location is poised tochange dramatically. In the future,conventional assembly lines may well bereplaced by “virtual industries.” It willbe possible to be an Industrialist withoutowning a single piece of land but owningjust an assembly line. The entiremanufacturing process can be carriedout by identifying micro, small andmedium enterprises or MSMEs andcrowd-sourcing those MSMEs. This hastremendous potential. Just look at thestatistics. According to the website ofthe Ministry Micro, Small and Medium

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I am sure we all want to live in anIndia that is a happy, prosperous andhealthy India. An India where everybodywill have access to education and thechance to rise to one’s full potential. Itis this India that I dream about.

I believe that all of you graduatingtoday will do your bit so that in the next

CONVOCATIONS

ten years we will fashion an India thatis TB-free; an India that is hunger-freeand an India where every single childhas the opportunity to study. You couldsay this is my dream.

India’s poet laureate RabindranathTagore had a dream too…of a country“Where the head is held high…” and

he wrote, “Into that heaven offreedom, my Father, let my countryawake.” I hope that you will be thetorch-bearer of that nation whichRabindranath Tagore described…thenew designers and young leaders of theIndia of the future.

Thank You.

The 46th Convocation of Indo-Swiss Training CentreHeld at CSIO, Chandigarh

The 46th Convocation of Indo-SwissTraining Centre (ISTC) was held at theCentral Scientific InstrumentsOrganisation (CSIO), Chandigarh. IndoSwiss Training Centre popularly knownas ISTC was established in the year1963 in collaboration with the SwissFoundation for Technical Assistance,Switzerland. Prof. Anand Mohan,Director, National Institute ofTechnology, Kurukshetra who is aneminent academician was the ChiefGuest on the occasion. Prof. Anandwhile delivering the ConvocationAddress spoke about two key points: tobe inquisitive and have critical

observation, that enables to gofor innovative approach, learningand skill upgradation. He advisedthe students to pursue higherstudies and be innovative andever learning. He observed thatthe country needs to excel indesigning new technologies.

Prof. Anand quoted SwamyVivekanand who had once saidthat, “in a day if we are not facingany problem, we are moving ona wrong path.” In other words, Prof.Anand meant that the leaders oftechnology and skill-basedmanufacturing are going to face

problems but these will be circumventedwith the kind of training they haveacquired. He exhorted the technologistsnot to be afraid of challenges in life andfurther quoted William Shakespeare, forinspiring the audience, to imbibe hardwork and more knowledge while havinglow expectations.

Dr. Pawan Kapur, Director, CSIOhighlighted the activities of ISTC andwelcomed the Chief Guest. Whilechalking out the history of the successof ISTC, he described it as an Instituteof excellence for imparting technicalskilled training. He also advised thestudents to do quality work to achievegreater heights.

Mr. R. C. Arora, Principal, ISTCA view of the graduating students

A student receiving the Graduate Degree

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while presenting the Annual Report ofthe Training Centre, informed thegathering with pride that this year all the69 passing out graduates had alreadybeen picked up for employment byvarious industries of repute. He

informed that the Centre had so farproduced 3103 graduates in variousstreams. The graduating students wereawarded Diplomas by Dr. Pawan Kapur,while the Chief Guest Prof. AnandMohan gave away the Prizes and

Medals to the students who had excelledin various fields. The Programmeconcluded with the formal Vote ofThanks proposed by Mr. R. C. Agnihotri,Senior Scientist.

All the 37 CSIR Laboratories/Institutes celebrated the CSIR Foundation Day on 26 September 2011 with great enthusiasm.They took stock of the performance of the past year and planned for the future. Special programmes were arranged on theoccasion. The staff members who had completed 25 years of regular service and those who had retired since last Founda-tion Day were honoured by presenting mementoes and shawls. Various competitions were organized as a part of thecelebrations and winners were awarded. The occasion was also observed as Open Day by many Institutes/Laboratoriesand a large number of people, particularly the students, visited and interacted with the scientists. The programmes organizedon the occasion at CDRI, NBRI, NEERI and NEIST are highlighted below:

CSIR Foundation Day Celebrations at Laboratories/Institutes

Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow

The Institute celebrated the 69th CSIRFoundation Day on September 26, 2011.During the day, a Science Exhibition wasorganized in the CDRI Museum whichwas inaugurated by the Chief Guest ofthe event Prof. N. Jayaraman,Department of Organic Chemistry,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.The exhibition remained open for

students and general people throughoutthe day. More than 400 students andteachers from different schools andcolleges visited exhibition and someselected laboratories.

The main function was organized inthe afternoon. Director, CDRI, Dr. T.K.Chakraborty welcomed the guests andin his address emphasized the important

role played by CDRI in setting andfunctioning of CSIR at large. He alsosaid that large numbers of opportunitiesare opening up for youngsters in thecountry by way of IITs, IISERs andcentral universities, etc. and to balancethis effect of inspiration of youngstersto join such organizations, CSIR has totake initiatives in motivating them to

CONVOCATIONS/CSIR FOUNDATION DAY CELEBRATIONS

Dr. T.K. Chakraborty, Director, explaining about theExhibition to the Chief Guest

The flock of school children and othervisitors at the Exhibition

Prof. N. Jayaraman, the Chief Guest ,addressing to the audience

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choose careers within CSIR. TheUniversity education system’s researchprogram is deteriorating and CSIR hasto reach out them and include into itsprogrammes since we do unparallel drugdiscovery related research in thecountry. He stressed on giving expertisein transitional mode of research andremain motivated in bringing theuniversities into the loop. CDRI wasgiven a big responsibility to bring malariaunder OSDD and has initiated outreachin chemistry wherein the molecules arepouring in for testing through onlineregistration, for which, screening againstmalaria is done and results put up onwebsite which shall be used by thegroups for furthering the research.

The Chief Guest Prof. N.Jayaraman from IISc, Bangalorestressed on the monumental excellenceshowed by the staff of CDRI in the last60 years by catering to the drug andpharma needs of the country andevidently shown by bringing 12 drugs intothe market. He related the individual’scontribution being important for thegrowth of an organization and should notbe underscored. Further, invited theindividual’s contribution towards addingup to the vision of people like Dr. S.S.

Bhatnagar and also invited thecontribution by way of constant thinkingof students apart from the scientificstaff in transformation. If India iscompared to China which, is moreadvance in scientific achievements inthe recent past it should not bethreatened by this and should work ingoing hand-in-hand with them. The globalCEOs are looking forward for Indianexpertise by interacting in ground leveldiscussions. He also urged for beingprofessional in whatever we do andopen up our wisdom and not merelycoaching oriented thereby bringing achange in the education system. He alsofelt that CSIR at its 69th years of

foundation is very well poised as numberof MNCs are approaching forcollaboration and also CDRI is beingidentified as a major contributor.

Dignitaries of the dais released theCDRI Newsletter (Vol.3, No.1-April toSeptember, 2011). In the meeting, 26retired employees ofCDRI as well asthose 13 colleagues who completed 25years of service in CSIR were felicitatedand given a certificate, wrist watch anda shawl in recognition to their servicetowards the growth and development ofthe institution. Prizes were also awardedto the winners of essay/quiz competitionorganized on the occasion byDr. Susmita Chakraborty.

Prof. N. Jayaraman, the Chief Guest releasing the CDRI Monthly Newsletter

Dr. T.K. Chakraborty, Director, honouring the CDRIStaff, who had completed 25 years of their service in

CSIR, with mementoes

Dr. Susmita Chakraborty, distinguished guest of theFunction, honouring the staff members who

superannuated during the period Sept, 2010 toAug, 2011, with a shawl and memento

Prof. N. Jayaraman giving Award to a ward of CDRIemployees who secured above 90% marks in each

of minimum three science subjects

CSIR FOUNDATION DAY CELEBRATIONS

CSIR NEWS260

National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow

The National BotanicalResearch Institute (NBRI)observed ‘Open Day’ on the26 September to commemo-rate the 69th Foundation Day ofthe Council of Scientific &Industrial Research. TheFunction was started with thelighting of lamp by Chief Guest,Prof. J. S. Singh, former Headof the Department of Botany,Banaras Hindu University,Varanasi and other dignitaries.

Prof. J. S. Singh deliveredthe CSIR Foundation Day Lecture,entitled, Vanishing Forest,Disappearing Species and ChangingClimate: The Human Impact. In hislecture Prof. Singh said that increasingpopulation of the world is a matter ofconcern causing climate changeand degradation of forests leading tovanishing of a number of species. Inhis detailed presentation, he gave acomparative account of populationincrease from 1950 to 2050 of theworld. By this rate of populationexplosion in India will overtake Chinaby 2050.

Elaborating further, Prof. Singh saidthat in the tropical forest, 350 million hahave been deforested at the rate of 0.8%per year and about 500 million ha ofsecondary and primary forests havebeen degraded. Further, the primaryforests are irreplaceable for sustainingtropical biodiversity. As of today, fewtruly undisturbed tropical forests exist inthe world. Forests degraded by repeatedlogging and fires, while secondary andplantation forests, are rapidly expanding.Further biodiversity values are

substantially lower in degraded forests.When it comes to maintaining tropicalbiodiversity, there is no substitutefor primary forests, he continued. Givingthe statistics, he said that due to0.8% per year deforestation, currently2-5 species are lost per hour or14000-40000 species per year. Thus, ofthe 3 billion populations existing onEarth, on an average 220 populationsper species i.e. 1800 species per hourare being lost from the tropical forestsalone.

Elaborating on the consequences ofglobal warming, Prof. Singh said thatelevated temperatures of the biospherewill result into melting of polar ice,increase in sea level (flooding of majorcities). It will lead to weather extremes,like more rainfall during shorter periodsand more evaporation and soil moisturedeficiencies. The other outcome ofglobal warming is ecosystem disruption,like stress and death of vegetation andmigration of species. It will have animpact on human health

Earlier, Dr. C. S. Nautiyal, Director,NBRI welcomed the Chief Guest of the

Function and other dignitariespresent on this auspiciousoccasion. Dr. Nautiyal saidthat, “NBRI is engaged in theplant research and our mottois, Where plant based researchtouches lives throughinnovations. In this direction,we are continuously organizingvarious programmes forfarmers, villagers, women.”“The scientist of the Instituteare rendering knowledge tothem on the subjects of societal

importance like floriculture, kitchengarden and dehydrated flower technique,biofertilizers and biopesticides, etc,” hesaid further.

Later certificates and mementoeswere distributed by the Chief Guest toeight employees falling under thecategory of completing 25 years ofservice and 20 former employees whohad retired last year. Dr. C.S. Nautiyal,distributed prizes and certificates to thosechildren of staff who had participatedand won in the Essay competitionorganized on this occasion.

On this occasion, the variousLaboratories, Botanic Garden,Herbarium, Exposition, Library andBanthra Research Station of theInstitute remained open to public. About1100 students of City Montessori Schools,Pioneer Montessori School, Bright WayInter College, Ryan International,Raebareilly, Govt. Inter College, ChristianCollege and researchers of otherInstitutes and general public visited thevarious laboratories, exposition, gardenon this occasion. Dr. S.N. Singhproposed the Vote of Thanks.

CSIR FOUNDATION DAY CELEBRATIONS

A view of the dais

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National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur

The National EnvironmentalEngineering Research Institute(NEERI) celebrated CSIRFoundation Day on 26September 2011. The Instituteorganized various functions andOpen Day on this occasion. Asa part of science motivationprogramme, about 400 studentsof local and Vidarbha regionvisited the Institute in themorning session. NEERIscientists explained them theongoing R&D activities andshowed practical demons-trations at the respective divisions.Documentaries on CSIR and other S&Tdevelopments were also screened forthe students on this occasion. CSIRFoundation Day Lecture 2011 wasorganized in the Institute’s auditorium inthe afternoon. Shri Amit Majumdar,Regional Director, Atomic MineralsDirectorate for Exploration andResearch, Department of AtomicEnergy, Central Region, Nagpur was theChief Guest on this occasion anddelivered the CSIR Foundation Lecture.

While addressing the audience, ShriMajumdar commended the Council ofScientific and Industrial Research for itssignificant achievements made in everyfield right from deep ocean to high sky.CSIR has assisted and promoteddevelopment of the country throughresearch and S&T interventions, headded. He praised for the recentinitiatives taken by CSIR to provide S&Tbased solutions to mitigate thevulnerability and improve the quality oflife especially, for the weaker and

disadvantaged sections of the society.Speaking on power generation, ShriMajumdar said that looking at future weneed to generate more power in thecountry, as energy is an importantyardstick for development of ourcountry. He stated that at presentthermal, hydro and renewable sourcesof electricity are the three primaryenergy sources in India, then comesnuclear power. He emphasized on aneed to promote and strengthen nuclearpower in the country because coal, oiland gas are contributing in globalwarming by CO

2 emissions. We need

to change general perception aboutnuclear power that it is dangerous andharmful to human beings andenvironment, which is baseless, hecommented.

Shri Majumdar said that only nuclearenergy offers emission of free energy,which is considered to be anenvironmentally benign source ofenergy. He cited some of the examplesduring his speech to prove that nuclear

energy is the best option lookingat the growing energy demandin the country. Speaking onNuclear Power &Environment, he said that allcare is being taken to ensure thenuclear reactors being used aresafe. An InternationalCommittee does a regular auditof the safety of all workingreactors, he informed. He saidthat even the climate of thevicinity does not get affected bythe presence of a nuclearreactor.

Shri Majumdar stated that the sitesof many reactors have lush greeneryaround, and one of the sites has evenbeen turned into a bird sanctuary. Hesaid that nuclear power generation isdone in three stages. First, the naturaluranium is burnt in a heavy metalreactor, and then the waste materialobtained from the process is isolated andcollected, he added. The third stageinvolves using plutonium along withthorium that is found in abundance inIndia to produce an isotope of uranium,which again is used for making power,he said. This means we have 400 years’worth of energy security, he remarked.Shri Majumdar hoped that theDepartment of Atomic Energy andCSIR would work together for thebetterment of the country.

Earlier in his Welcome Address Dr.S. R. Wate, Director, NEERI briefedabout the technologies developed byNEERI exhibited in CSIR Technofest2010 at the theme pavilion ‘Ecology &Environment’. He also briefed about the

Shri Amit Majumdar, Regional Director, Atomic Minerals Directorate forExploration and Research, Department of Atomic Energy delivering the

CSIR Foundation Day Lecture; Seated on dais (from left): Dr. S.R. Wate andPrakash Kumbhare

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12th Five Year Plan Projects proposed by NEERI in theareas of clean air, clean water and waste minimization.Dr. Wate urged the scientists to focus their R&D for thecommon man and sustainable development.

Shri Amit Majumdar released the NEERI AnnualReport 2010-11 on this occasion. A CD containing theAnnual Reports of previous 50 years (1958-2008) was alsoreleased. Mementoes were presented to NEERI employeeswho had completed 25 years of service in CSIR and retiredduring the period September 2010 to August 2011. Mr.Prakash Kumbhare, Scientist, introduced the Chief Guestand proposed the Vote of Thanks. Smt. Jaya Sabjiwalecompered the Programme. Students in a NEERI Laboratory

North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST), Jorhat

The North East Institute of Science &Technology (NEIST), Jorhat celebratedthe 69th CSIR Foundation Day at itspremises on 26 September 2011 with awell charted out programme. TheFunction was held under thePresidentship of Dr. R. C. Boruah,Scientist, NEIST which was attended bya galaxy of invited guests, scientists,students, research scholars and NEISTfraternity both existing and retired.

Dr. K. V. Raghavan, INAE,Distinguished Professor, Indian Instituteof Chemical Technology (IICT),Hyderabad graced the occasion as theChief Guest and delivered theFoundation Day Lecture. TheProgramme began with screening ofCSIR theme song. Welcoming theAugust gathering, Dr P. C. Neog, SeniorPrincipal Scientist & ProgrammeCoordinator, spoke about the importanceof the day and contributions made bythe Institute towards Nation building overthe years in terms of technologiesdeveloped, papers published, etc. In this

context, Dr Neog mentioned thatthe Institute has generated morethan 100 technologies in the areasof Agrotechnology, BiologicalScience, Chemical Science,Engineering Science, Geo-scienceand Materials Science of whichmore than 60% have beencommercially successfulculminating in setting up of variousindustrial ventures and societaldevelopment throughout thecountry.

Dr Neog also mentioned that thisyear’s celebration bears a specialsignificance as the Institute has beenawarded the CSIR Technology Award2011 in the area of Life Sciences forthe technology on “Terminalia chebulabased bioformulation for anti-flacheriedisease and silk enhancement”.Delivering the Foundation Day lectureon, Clean technologies forPharmaceutical Synthesis — RecentTrends, Dr Raghavan said that thePharmaceutical Industry forms an

important segment of Industries in theCountry capturing more than 95% ofIndian Modern Healthcare and a recordof 20,000 registered units manufacturing500 bulk drugs and 2400 formulationsper annum. Indian PharmaceuticalIndustry constitutes 13% of worldmarket, he informed.

Dr Raghavan also highlighted on thevarious challenges faced by the ModernPharmaceutical Synthesis whichconcerns with the unique structure andproperty behaviour of each drug

Dr. K. V. Raghavan, INAE, Distinguished Professor,Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT),

delivered the Foundation Day Lecture

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molecule and the Chemical or Biologicalor their combination employed in thesynthesis. Dr Raghavan furtherexplained the various unit processes andunit operations for pharmaceuticalsynthesis and said that a batch for a semibatch reactor forms the heart of unitprocessing operation. Dr Raghavan alsostressed on the environmental aspect ofpharmaceutical synthesis and informedthat there are four factors to keep inmind while assessing clean technologieswhich are: E factor for pharma wastegeneration, Process Mass Intensity(PMI) for Green technologies, E factor(PMI-I) and Hazardous Air PollutionStandards (HAPI).

Dr Raghavan also outlined otherdiversified issues concerning with thePharmaceutical Synthesis such assolvents used in the synthesis and itsgreen replacements, concept of SinglePot Synthesis, Supported Liquid Systemin Single Pot Synthesis, Biocatalyticoptions for Clean Synthesis,Microfluidics for Clean and SafeChemistry, Status of implementation ofGreen technologies in IndianPharmaceutical Sector and Importanceof Property evaluation for designing highefficiency separation systems where hementioned that the recent developmentis the Designer Reaction Media.Concluding his lecture, Dr Raghavanbriefed about the way forward for CleanTechnologies implementation in IndianPharma Industry where he stressed uponthe growing need for nation-widetechno-environmental studies, Industry-Academic think-tanks and task force,Incentivizing Clean Technologiesprogrammes, development of Industryforesight and involvement of

environment criteria for CleanTechnologies priority.

Earlier Mr P. K. Goswami, Scientist,NEIST introduced the Chief Guest, DrK. V. Raghavan to the audience. As apart of the celebration, the members ofstaff who retired during the year 2010-11 were felicitated with shawls andother gift items as a token ofappreciation for the services renderedto the Institute in particular and the CSIRin general. Also members of staff whohad completed 25 years in the servicewere felicitated with wrist watches. Inthe Function, winners of variouscompetitions viz., Essay competition,Drawing competition and Quizcompetition, held under the banner ofFoundation Day celebration weresuitably awarded. Other Awardsincluded cash awards to meritorious SC/ST students who had passed HSLC in2011 from different State Boardssecuring highest scores in Sciencesubject and a lumpsum CSIR cashaward for excellence in Sports.

Delivering his Presidential Speech,Dr R. C. Boruah, expressed his gratitudeto Dr Raghavanfor his deliberationon such animportant subject.Speaking about theday, Dr Boruahsaid that CSIR hasemerged as themost diversifiedpublic organizationwith its mandate toprovide affordablehealthcare, ruralhousing, foodsecurity, safe

drinking portable water, etc. Since itsinception in 1942 the CSIR has beensignificantly contributing in the areas ofPharmaceutical, Biological, Engineering,Materials Science, Earth Sciences, etc,he opined. Dr Boruah also mentionedabout the activities of NEIST in multi-disciplinary areas, its contribution in thedevelopment of North East region andits various achievements over the years.He further urged upon the NEISTfraternity to work harder to bring moreprogress and prosperity to the Instituteand the organization as a whole. Lateras a token of love and appreciation, aMemento was presented to Dr K. V.Raghavan on behalf of NEIST by Dr RC Boruah. The programme concludedwith Vote of Thanks by Mr B. C. Saikia,Scientist, NEIST.

Later on, the Day was declared as‘Open Day’ and the Institute was visitedby students and general public. Morethan 500 students from nearby schoolsand colleges visited the various R&DDepartments of the laboratory to see forthemselves the various on-goingresearch activities.

A view of the audience

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Editors of ACS Journals Visit NCL, PuneDr. David Whitten, Editor-in-Chief of Langmuir, Dr. AnirbanMahapatra, Acquisitions Editorfor ACS Journal Publishing,Mihaela Rogers, CoordinatingEditor of Crystal Growth &Design, and Robin D. RogersEditor-in-Chief of CrystalGrowth & Design., Langmuir,visited National ChemicalLaboratory (NCL), Pune on 24June 2011 to interact withscientists and students.

The American ChemicalSociety (ACS) has shown agreater interest in research activities inthe area of Chemical Sciences in India.It is a matter of pride that ACS editorschose to visit NCL, besides IISER, Puneand IISc., Bangalore, JNCASR andNCBS. This is due to a greater interestby ACS in research activities inChemistry in India especially CSIR.ACS editors were specifically interestedto know more about NCL as a hugevolume of high impact publications inmany ACS Journals come from NCL.As a part of these editorial outreachactivities, on behalf of the AmericanChemical Society, the editorial teaminteracted with the NCL scientists andresearch students. They expected thatthis initial visit during the InternationalYear of Chemistry will set the stage for

broader outreach activities with visit ofa large number of ACS editors in comingyears.

ACS editors had interaction with thescientists from NCL, faculties fromIISER, Pune and University of Pune. Dr.Sourav Pal, Director NCL presented inbrief the scientific achievements ofCSIR in general and NCL in particular.He also mentioned the AcSIR andcollaboration of NCL with many leadingInstitutes including IISER, Pune andUniversity of Pune. The ACS teamdiscussed diverse scientific aspects withDr. Sourav Pal, Prof. K. N. Ganesh,Director of IISER, Pune and theparticipating scientists.

Dr. David Whitten, Editor-in-Chiefof Langmuir, Dr. Anirban Mahapatra,

Acquisitions Editor for ACSJournal Publishing, and RobinD. Rogers Editor-in-Chief ofCrystal Growth & Designgave a presentation to a largegathering comprising scientists,faculty, covering the topics like:Who is the ACS? What areACS journals? Who are ACSeditors? What is the purpose oftheir outreach to India? Whypublish in an ACS journal?What ACS editors look for insubmissions? What ethicalguidelines an Editor follows?

What ethical guidelines an author shouldfollow? What ethical guidelines areviewer should follow? They mentionedthat ACS is now available in mobilephone. ACS editors also collected thefeedback on experiences of authorspublishing in ACS journals for sharingwith other staff and Editors. They alsogathered the experience of researcherspublishing in ACS journals and what canthey do to improve the author andreviewer experience.

The ACS team also visited thePolymer and Advanced MaterialsResearch Laboratory (PAML), NCLVenture Center and IISER. Theywere impressed with the research inthe area of Solar Power and FuelCell.

Robin D. Rogers, Editor-in-Chief of Crystal Growth & Design,giving a presentation

VISITS