CSIR doing fantastic job: Harsh Vardhan

NEW DELHI, Nov 22:
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), nation’s custodian for measurement standards-mass, distance, time, temperature, current-is doing a fantastic job and has been ranked 17th amongst a total of 1,391 government institutions, according to the Scimago Institutions ranking World Report, said Science and Technology Minster Harsh Vadhan in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
India’s largest autonomous public research and development organisation CSIR is among the top 50 global institutions by normalised World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) patent families, standing at 16, and is the only Indian organisation in this top 50 lineup, Dr Vardhan said during Question Hour.
Responding to supplementaries, he said two people-Late Jawaharlal Nehru and Late Syama Prasad Mookerjee-played an instrumental role in strengthening the organisation, founded in 1942.
Dr Vardhan said the CSIR has covered over the years, a wide spectrum of science and technology. It has been providing significant technological interventions in many areas which include environment, health, drinking water, food, housing energy and petrochemicals and in doing so, CSIR has partnered with Industry in a significant manner.
Citing the numerous achievements of the research body, Dr Vardhan mentioned indigenously produced aviation biofuel based on patented technology of CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) and the inaugural flight of Saras PT1N.
He also informed about a lab at IIP converting one tonne of plastic waste in 24 hours into 800 litres diesel, which can be petrol and petrochemical also. This can be scaled up to 10 tonnes and 100 tonnes, he added.
“In Delhi, we will set up such facilities,” he averred.\ (UNI)