Annual Report 2004-2005

Science & Technology for Women

S&T Programme for Empowerment of Women

The broad objective of the scheme is to empower women with inputs of science and technology with a view to promote development and adaptation of appropriate technology, transfer of proven technologies and demonstration of live technology models to benefit women. This programme has made a distinct impact due to its unconventional approach, gender sensitivity and involvement of S&T based voluntary organizations having strong linkages at the grass roots. During the course of the year, 47 individual projects were approved in technology sectors such as biological pest control, rain water harvesting, soyabean processing, Angora rabbit rearing, natural dyes extraction, electronic products production, value addition in terracotta, detection of fluoride in drinking water, ergonomic assessment of hand tools and work stations for women in post harvesting jobs, fish culture using periphyton as natural food, cost effective water treatment.

Seventeen (17) projects were completed successfully during the year. Some of the achievements are as follows:

• A new improved four spindle Magan charkha to reduce drudgery and give employment to rural women has been developed by Magan Sangrahalaya, Wardha.
• Training on Culture techniques for Marine bivalves has been imparted to fisher women in Goa.
• Standardization of green house technology for rare medicinal plants.
• Technology development for removing hardness of water by natural polymeric substances.
• Mushroom cultivation and spawn production unit in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.
• Production cum training centre for bakery products has been setup in Pudukkottai district in Tamilnadu.
• Prototype of a manual shears to size gauges used for manufacturing sanitary napkin has been developed.
• Coordinated programme on owning and sustaining rural water supply and sanitation by women has successfully demonstrated technologies for water harvesting and safe drinking water.

Some of the successful individual projects being replicated as coordinated programmes are:

Coordinated programme on Fodder and animal feed

Women in almost all parts of the country are involved in animal husbandry. Rural women spend a large part of their time in fodder collection and storage. A need is being felt for a programme to address the need of fodder. This programme envisages transfer of improved fodder production technology to rural areas involving women such as (a)year round fodder production technology– cultivation of cereals and legumes in rotational manner; (b)upgradation of poor quality roughages; (c) silage preparation; (d) preparation of silo pits; (e)silvipasture development; (f) fodder production bunds; and (g) cultivation of perennial grasses such as Dicanthium, Cenchrus, Sehima, Stylosanthus and bushes like Sesbania, Leucaena, Deshmanthus. This coordinated programme on Fodder and Feed has been launched in12 different agro climatic regions of the country. Technical & Scientific inputs are being provided by Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi.

Cultivation, processing and marketing of high value Medicinal Plants

The second phase of the programme was completed successfully. In this programme, women groups were trained in appropriate agro technology for cultivation, semi processing, storage and marketing of medicinal plants. A laboratory for standardization and certification of 20 commonly used medicinal plants for use of small growers has been set up. This certification, first of this type in the country, provides small growers value addition in marketing their produce.

Coordinated programme on nutrition based women’s health

Women of postmenopausal age group suffer from multiple problems such as-poor nutrition, cardiovascular disorders, osteoporosis, malignancies, and depression. Many of these are related to old age exacerbated by decline in the hormonal levels due to menopause. A multicentric study on Development of prevention and intervention strategies for nutrition related non–communicable disorders among post reproductive period women is being initiated in seven different locations of the country involving medical doctors and nutritionist. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi is coordinating the programme.

Rural Women’s Technology Park

Four Women Technology Parks (WTP) have been facilitated in Assam, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Tamilnadu. These Rural Women Technology Parks will showcase technology options; provide training and backward and forward linkages to rural women for income generation activities based on local resources. Showcasing drudgery reduction devices and women’s health will also be focused on in these centres.

Other Initiatives

• A Magazine in Hindi to spread scientific and technical awareness among rural women is being published for distribution to grass root level organizations.
• Brainstorming workshop on strategic directions for integrated utilization and control of the weed Lantana camara was held at Dehradun to work out a coordinated programme.
• Brainstorming workshop on various aspects of Mushroom from cultivation to marketing was held at Solan.
• Group Monitoring Workshop to review the progress of the projects funded under this scheme was held at Goa University during October 5-7, 2004. Around 36 projects were reviewed in this meeting.

The “Women Scientists Scheme” has been instituted to provide opportunities to women scientists to work as bench-level scientists including those who have had to suffer break/s in their career. This scheme is to help them re-enter into mainstream science and provide a launch pad for them for further forays into the field of Science and Technology.

Under this scheme, three categories of the scholarships are being provided – (a) to pursue research in frontier areas of Science and Engineering; (b) to pursue research on societal problems requiring S&T intervention; and (c) for undergoing S&T based internship leading to self-employment.

To help women scientists in pursuing research in frontier areas of Science & Technology, 131 projects were sanctioned during the year. The subject-wise distribution of sanctioned projects was as follows: life sciences – 57; chemical sciences – 22, physical and mathematical sciences – 24; earth and atmospheric sciences – 10; and engineering sciences – 18. The age-wise distribution of selected candidates indicated that maximum number of selected candidates were in the agegroup of 35-45 years which seemed to justify the aim of the Scheme.

Also, 692 new proposals (life sciences – 418, chemical sciences – 106, physical and mathematical sciences – 61, earth and atmospheric sciences – 45, and engineering sciences-62) were received for consideration of possible funding. Evaluation process was completed for 402 of these proposals and approval was conveyed to the 81 successful women scientists.

To motivate women scientists to contribute to the development of the country, a scholarship scheme was initiated for (i) research, development and adaptation of technology for improving the quality of life and provide additional opportunities for income generation in urban slums or rural areas; (ii) adaptation and transfer of an innovative technology from laboratory to field; and (iii) capacity building of applicant in technology areas relevant to the needs in rural areas. Under the scheme, a project is considered from a scientist in areas of science, engineering or medicine.

35 women scientists were awarded fellowship in 2003. The technology areas covered are: formulation of artificial diet for silk worms and ornamental fishes, value addition in bamboo, melissopalynological and biochemical analysis of honey, solid waste management, introduction of S&T in silk mat weaving, leather processing technology, development of advanced technique for effective monitoring of spatial and temporal variation in marine pollution in culture of foraminifera, biofuels for sustainable energy management, electricity generation from wind, biological remediation for shrimp aquaculture, eco-friendly wood preservative from neem leaves and seeds, extraction and purification of non-sugar mass multiplication saccharide sweetener from Stevia rebaudiana leaves, in vitro cultures of water moulds for biological control of mosquito population, sea weed cultivation, extraction of algal pigment for therapeutical uses, cost effective defluoridation techniques and micro propagation of high-value low volume medicinal plants etc.

In addition to above, 15 women scientists from all over the country are undergoing rigorous training in IPR and related areas.

This award for the year under reference was given away by the Honorable Minister for Science and Technology on February 27, 2004. The recipients of this year’s award were Prof. Radha Kale, Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bangalore and Dr. Bhagwan Mahadeo Nene, Cancer Research Hospital, Barshi, Solapur (Maharashtra) for their outstanding contributions in the field of soil fertility management and Oncology respectively that have made sustainable changes in the lives of rural women.