Principal Scientific Adviser to GoI

We are pleased to announce the release of the latest edition of Vigyan Dhara newsletter from the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. The focus of this September 2024 issue is on Technology Foresight!https://psa.gov.in/CMS/web/sites/default/files/psa_custom_files/VIGYAN%20DHARA%20%284%29.pdf

In this edition, you will find:

👉 Foreword by Scientific Secretary Dr. Parvinder Maini highlighting the value-addition of foresight practices in policy-making and strategic planning

👉 Feature article on a conversation with Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Hon’ble Member (S&T), NITI Aayog on charting the future of India’s S&T using technology foresight

👉 Feature story on ‘Vision to Action’ through the experiences of Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram, former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

👉 Article by Prof. Krishna Kumar Balaraman (Head, Centre for Technology Foresight and Policy, IIT Jodhpur) positions Technology Foresight as a necessary capability to achieve India’s goals, also highlighting the avenues for gaining knowledge on foresight

👉 An introductory article on foresight approaches and techniques with use-cases

👉 Article exploring technology foresight in key instruments of Office of PSA like ETG and PM-STIAC, to drive informed decision-making and policy recommendations, by Remya Haridasan of Office of PSA

👉 Series on Technology Foresight: Sectoral Perspectives covering Public Health (by Dr Hafsa Ahmad), Nuclear Energy (by Remya Haridasan), Quantum Magnetometer (by Vivek Kumar) and Semiconductors (by Abhinav Dubey and Dr B. Chagun Basha)

👉 Article on the global collaboration in Technology Foresight drawing on the Knowledge Exchange held by Office of PSA in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre

📢Check out the full newsletter here:https://psa.gov.in/CMS/web/sites/default/files/psa_custom_files/VIGYAN%20DHARA%20%284%29.pdf

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood joined the 83th Foundation Day of CSIR, along with Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri Jagdeep Dhankar, Former Chairman ISRO Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, and DG, CSIR Dr. N. Kalaiselvi.

Prof Sood quoted Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, ‘Economic Development is powered by competitiveness. The Competitiveness is powered by knowledge. Knowledge is powered by technology and innovation’. He further added that technology and innovation are powered by fundamental science.

In his address, Prof. Sood remarked the important role science has played in the history of mankind. He emphasized on the symbiotic relationship between Science and Technology leading to newer disruptive innovations for betterment of our global society. He also acknowledged the efforts by government labs, universities, industries and policy makers helping India to become a major product nation and a $5 Trillion economy by advancing basic R&D leading to industry-centric technologies, supporting deeptech startups and fostering innovations.

Watch the full address here:

PSA Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood addresses on CSIR Foundation Day Celebrations 2024

The MINISTRY OF STEEL organised an event on the theme of 'Greening Steel: Pathway to Sustainability'. The Chief Guest for the event was Shri H. D. Kumaraswamy, Hon’ble Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries who launched the report on 'Greening the Steel Sector in India - Roadmap and Action Plan'. The report, developed through inputs from 14 Task Forces constituted by the Ministry of Steel, presents a comprehensive strategy for decarbonizing the steel sector in India - the world's second-largest producer of crude steel - to align with the country's global climate commitment

As the Chairperson of the Task Force on Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D), Scientific Secretary, Dr (Mrs.) Parvinder Maini was felicitated by the Hon’ble Chief Guest, Shri H. D. Kumaraswamy, for the Task Force’s work in creating a roadmap for enabling an indigenous RD&D ecosystem in green steel technologies in India, thereby ensuring a sustainable transition in the Indian Steel Sector.

Other dignitaries who participated in the event include Shri Sandeep Poundrik, Secretary, MINISTRY OF STEEL; Shri Nagendra N Sinha, Former Secretary, MINISTRY OF STEEL; Dr. Anshu Bharadwaj, Project Director, NITI Aayog; Shri Abhay Bakre, Mission Director, National Green Hydrogen Mission; Shri Arvind K. Singh, Director - Technical at Steel Authority of India Limited; Dr. Saurabh Kundu, CSO of Tata Steel; Shri Prabodha Acharya, CSO of JSW; Shri Vaibhav Pokharna, Senior Lead Sustainability at ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India ; and Shri Dhruba Purkayastha, PhD, Director at Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

Read the full press release here - https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2053487

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, addressed the inaugural session of the 2nd Edition of the International Conference on Green Hydrogen, India (ICGH-2024) today. The session was officially opened with a video address by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and presided over by Sh. Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Sh. Pralhad Joshi, Hon’ble Union Minister of New & Renewable Energy.

In his address, Prof. Sood underscored the role of innovation in the green hydrogen supply chain as a key driver in achieving the goals of the National Green Hydrogen Mission for positioning India as a global hub for the production, utilisation, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives. Prof. Sood further highlighted the need to explore new technological pathways, and expand the market and applications for making green hydrogen more affordable and widely accessible.

Sh. Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)), and Dr. N Kalaiselvi, Director General of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary of Department Of Scientific And Industrial Research (Dsir), also delivered an address during the inaugural session.

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Sood, chaired a review meeting to take stock of the advancements made in transforming India's regulatory framework for the medical products in India. In the meeting, Dr. Rajeev Raghuvanshi, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) provided updates on the efforts underway for enhancing transparency and accountability in the regulatory processes.

Highlighting the importance of regularly monitoring the progress in this area, Prof. Sood emphasized that a robust regulatory ecosystem is crucial for building global trust, boosting India's manufacturing and export capabilities, and maintaining our competitive edge in the global medical products market.

Read the full press release here: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2047409

Mr. Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder and CMD of Ola Group, called on Prof. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India today to discuss the potential contributions of Ola-Krutrim (an indigenous AI computing stack) and Ola Electric towards India’s energy security, green transition, and leadership in AI.

Prof. Sood highlighted the importance of aligning these initiatives with national priorities, particularly in developing AI solutions tailored to India’s needs - a key focus of IndiaAI initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy), and advancing the EV sector in the country through Ola Electric and industry-academia interaction involving . The dialogue focused on how these efforts can bolster India’s AI competitiveness and energy resilience.

Prof. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, met with Dr. Prasad Akella, Advisor at Invest India today to discuss the research and development (R&D) landscape in India. Prof. Sood shared his insights on leveraging the latest technologies and Global Capability Centers to bolster India’s innovation ecosystem and drive progress in R&D.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, today attended the 18th Foundation Day of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) as the Chief Guest. In his address, Prof. Sood applauded the Ministry for its dedicated services and missions including ocean services, seismological services, ocean resources survey and technology development, weather, climate and hydromet services, and polar science—all contributing significantly to nation-building.

He also shared a brief oversight into the Office of PSA's instruments of science advice shaping science policy including the Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) and Empowered Technology Group (ETG).

Prof. Sood also discussed emerging technologies in the field of quantum science and earthquake monitoring. He urged the scientists of MoES to explore and incorporate these technologies into the Ministry's missions, aiming for better growth.

Additionally, Prof. Sood touched upon the ongoing research in seismographic event pattern recognition, highlighting its potential to improve earthquake prediction and response.

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/hBvSuNZuFd4

2nd cohort of QUAD Fellowship announced!

This prestigious fellowship among the QUAD nations (Australia, India, Japan and United States) awarded 50 students in this 2nd cohort, designed to build ties among next generation of technologists and scientists.

Out of 50 deserving STEM fellows, 10 fellows have been selected from India.

H.E. Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, along with her team, called on Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India today. The bilateral conversation revolved around the UK-India Catapults Dialogue and Engagement. They also deliberated on ways to utilize the Office of PSA's Manthan platform to further strengthen the UK-India ties between the two countries’ researchers and innovators.

Prof. Sood and H.E Ms. Cameron also discussed the progress of ongoing joint initiatives between India and the UK, including the Technology and Security Initiative (TSI), the UK-India Science and Technology Dashboard, and the UK-India Net Zero Innovation Centre, and explored the way forward.

Prof. Sood informed the High Commissioner about the latest developments regarding the upcoming Anusandhan National Research Foundation. Both sides expressed keen interest in future joint initiatives in the context of ANRF.

The meeting was also attended by Ms. Sarah Fallon, Regional Director (India, Middle East), Science, Innovation and Technology, and Mr. Jack Landers, Science Team Leader (Climate, People and Space) from the British High Commission, New Delhi. Dr. Preeti Banzal, Adviser; Dr. Rakesh Kaur, Adviser; Dr. Sapna Poti, Director, Strategic Alliance Division; and Dr. Divya Vashisht, OSD also joined from the Office of PSA.

The ‘e-mobility R&D Roadmap for India’ report was launched by Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India today (July 16, 2024) at Vigyan Bhawan Annexe in New Delhi. The R&D roadmap has been prepared after detailed horizon scanning of the global automotive sector and identifying future cutting-edge technological requirements. It categorizes research projects into four important areas: Energy Storage Cells, EV Aggregates, Materials and Recycling, Charging and Refueling, and provides clear pathways to attain global leadership by being Atmanirbhar in the next five years.

Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Dr. Reji Mathai, Director General, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, Dr. K. Balasubramanian, Director, Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC), Hyderabad among others participated in the event. Government officials, members of the Consultative Group on e-Mobility (CGeM), representatives from industry and think tanks also attended the event.

In his opening address, Prof. Sood highlighted that India aims to achieve a 45% reduction in emission intensity by 2030 and energy independence by 2047 to reach net-zero commitment by 2070. A significant part of this vision will require the wider adoption of electric vehicles, manufacturing of indigenous energy storage systems, and generation of renewable energy to feed charging infrastructures.

Dr. Preeti Banzal, Adviser, Office of PSA and Prof. Karthick Athmanathan, PSA Fellow presented a brief overview of the Office’s significant efforts toward creating a strong R&D ecosystem in the automotive sector. Dr. Banzal informed that the Office, in August 2022, had constituted a 'Consultative Group on eMobility (CGeM)'. Prof. Athmanathan indicated that the research projects have been identified by the experts on both Technology deployment and Market leadership as the primary objective.

Prof. Sood, in his concluding remarks, said the automobile sector in India is one of the largest contributors to the country's GDP and is expected to grow further in future. It is imperative to attain R&D and Innovation led growth trajectory for becoming self-reliant in Automative sector.

The e-mobility R&D Roadmap report can be accessed here:https://psa.gov.in/CMS/web/sites/default/files/psa_custom_files/Printing%20Updated%20eMobility%20R%26D%20Roadmap%20document_11072024.pdf

Read the full press release here: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2033653

The 25th Meeting of The Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) was held today at Vigyan Bhawan Annexe in New Delhi. The meeting, chaired by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India discussed policy formulation for effective Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) and Carbon Credit in India.

Participants included Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member S&T, NITI Aayog; Scientific Secretary Dr. Parvinder Maini, Office of PSA; and the Secretaries of relevant departments including Secretary (Power) Shri Pankaj Agarwal; Secretary (Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals) Ms. Nivedita Shukla Verma; Secretary (Earth Sciences) Dr. M Ravichandran; Secretary (Coal) Shri Amrit Lal Meena; Chairman (Indian Space Research Organisation) Dr. S. Somanath; Chairman (Defence Research and Development Organisation) Dr. Samir V Kamat; Secretary (Biotechnology) Dr. Rajesh Gokhale; and Secretary (Department of Health Research) Dr. Rajiv Bahl.

Prof. Sood opened the meeting by highlighting the government's focus on CCUS for CO2 emission reduction, discussing the opportunities for widespread adoption of CCUS technologies, focusing on economic feasibility, supportive policy measures, institutional arrangements, and technological feasibility for installing CCUS projects in industries.

Dr. Saraswat highlighted the need for prioritizing R&D, regulatory framework, and the way forward to large-scale capacity plants. He asserted the significance of the carbon credit market, suggesting measures such as incentivization to industry to foster its development.

Presentations were made on varied themes including the 'need for the formulation of the CCUS policy framework in India', 'efforts of power generation companies to promote CCUS in India', 'synthesizing a complete CCUS value chain in the Indian context', 'R&D interventions and Government of India’s support aimed at promoting CCUS in India', and ' Indian carbon market and carbon credit scheme'.

In concluding remarks, Prof. Sood called for a nationwide adoption of CCUS technologies through a mission-mode approach, suggesting the Ministry of Power lead the mission as the nodal agency, with support from other relevant ministries.

Read the full press release here: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2031937