Research Innovations in the Country

The Government has been proactively engaged in developing, adopting and disseminating people friendly technologies for rural areas with involvement of NGOs, academic institutions, local bodies and community. Various government departments and agencies such as Department of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Indian council of Agricultural Research, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Council for advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technolgy, have taken many initiatives, including support for innovations. Women Technology Parks (WTP), Rural Technology Parks (RTP), Rural Technology Centres (RTC) and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) have been set up in rural areas for developing and disseminating location specific science and technology based solutions to local problems. Innovative projects involving development of field level technological interventions, which are capable of making a difference to rural life, are supported in regular basis by the Government. Some examples of such interventions are : (1) development of rural technologies like solar drier for fish, portable cookers using briquette made of biomass, modified multipurpose water mills, small biogas plants, etc. (2) during the last one year, the KVKs (in 540 rural districts) have conducted 1318 on farm trials to identify the location specificity of technology under various farming systems, organized 33,942 frontline demonstrations to establish its production potential on farmers’ fields, and 37,963 training programmes with participation of 8.4 lakh farmers nd 84,925 extension personnel. The KVKs produced 5322.5 tonnes of seedsand 52.2 lakh planting material, besides 233.2 lakh livestock strain/fingerlings for its availability to the farmers and (3) 670 units of ultra-filtration membrance based water filters, based on the technology developed by a Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory, have been installed in different rural areas for providing virus-free clean drinking water.

This information was given by the Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today

Source : Press Information Bureau
Date : December 11, 2006