Jamshedpur, Sept. 26: Eminent scientist Thirumalachari Ramasami has called for an Act of Parliament to ensure business-like approaches for industrial research best suited for the country.
Delivering the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) Foundation Day lecture at National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) auditorium in Burmamines today, the 65-year-old former secretary in the department of science and technology said that such an approach was needed keeping in mind the demands of the future.
"I strongly feel that the Union government should pass a special Act for empowering CSIR to have business-like approaches for industrial research suited to India of the future where technology-led growth could form the cornerstone and CSIR-led progress of India traceable and tangible," said Ramasami, who received the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014.
NML of Jamshedpur, a constituent of CSIR, was among 37 other similar organisations across the country that celebrated the foundation day. The main function was held in New Delhi headquarters.
CSIR's labs and 39 field stations are manned by around 3,634 scientists and engineers and 9,924 technical personnel, making it one of the largest science and industrial research enterprises in the world.
In the changing scenario, CSIR, explained its former director-general, should have clear selection and enrolment of industrial sectors for technology missions.
"CSIR has an annual resource need of Rs 4,000 crore directly and Rs 400 crore indirectly from the government. It earns about Rs 250 crore," Ramasami said.
Earlier, NML Jamshedpur director S. Srikanth gave the welcome address. He said that that till recently, NML's projects and schemes were geared towards postgraduate and other senior students. But now it has launched several new schemes for school children as well to inculcate their interest in science.
Prizes were also handed out to school students who took part in an essay competition. Two students, who have been selected to join IIT, were given a scholarship of Rs 1,500 per month.
Ramasami, who is now chairman of the oversights committee of science and engineering research board (SERB), felt that this approach would help industry associated with CSIR labs not only in research and development of their products, but also in taking the finished product after research and development.
