Department of Science & Technology

Monthly Report
March, 2023

I. Important policy decisions taken and major achievements during the month:

A. Celebration of International Women’s Day 2023

International Women's Day 2023 program was conducted on 6 th March, 2023 in New
Delhi on the theme "Digital Innovations and Technologies for Gender Equality”. 100
S&T based social organizations, social research and academic institutions and
entrepreneurs engaged in social development interacted and exchanged their ideas on
women’s education, AI-based system for detecting cervical cancer, cancer prevention,
empowerment through digital innovations & technologies, women-led innovations &
strategies of sustainability, their impact and future prospective.

Secretary, DST released a booklet on the activities and status of WISE-KIRAN and a
Status Report on gender Baseline Survey of GATI Institutions during the event.
Certificates were also distributed to the women scientists who had completed one-year
training in Intellectual Property Rights under WOS-C. As an effort to create awareness
amongst all the working ladies of Technology Bhawan, Technology Development Board
organized a Mental Health Wellness programme on the occasion of International
Women's Day, 2023.

B. Science for Society

1. Under the Assessment of Technology Maturity for Atmanirbharta (ATMA)

Programme, Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC),
New Delhi, assessed the following three technologies which are recommended by
Apex Committee for providing handholding support:

 Light-activating engineered herbal gel for minimally invasive superficial tumor

therapy.
 A Vitamin based novel formulation for increasing the immune efficiency in low
birth weight babies.
 Process technology for separating and purifying individual actives in curcumin
extracts.
 Under tele-digital health, pilot project, demonstration was organised by TIFAC at
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Mohali for three
new initiatives to be incorporated in the project viz. Oral cancer screening by AI,
an innovative ECG device and an AI enabled contactless access
system. Discussion with CDAC was held for interlinking tele-digital health care
data with Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) under Digital Health
Scheme.

2. TIFAC facilitated granting of patent titled “Spacer for use in taper roller or angular
contact bearings.
3. The Devasthal Observatory campus of ARIES, Nainital, was inaugurated on 21 st
March, 2023 by the Hon’ble Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences,
Dr. Jitendra Singh in the gracious presence of the Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand
Lt. Gen (Retd.) Gurmeet Singh.
4. The 3rd Belgo-Indian Network for Astronomy and Astrophysics (BINA) workshop
on “Scientific potential of the Indo-Belgian cooperation” was hosted by ARIES. 150
scientists from India, Belgium and many other countries participated in the
workshop.
5. A workshop was conducted by National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI),
Allahabad at Chitrakoot, Satna on ‘Entrepreneurship Development’, which was
attended by a large group of students, rural folks and the tribal community.

C. Technology Development

1. MoU signed among International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and
New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute
(CGCRI), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Centre for High
Technology-Oil Industrial Development Board (CHT-OIDB) for the consortium project
on Development and Scale-up of Indigenous Next Generation Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Technology and Demonstration of Process Line (10 kW) for Prototype Production
2. A patent on “An Improved Gas and Coolant Flow Field Plate for Polymer Electrolyte
Membrane Fuel Cells” was granted to ARCI.
3. National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Ahmedabad facilitated granting of 17
patents namely (i) a Portable Bath System; (ii) Cotton Ball Picking Machine; (iii) A
Water Filter System; (iv) Multi-Meter For Reduction of Energy Wastage; (v) Water
Dispenser for differently abled; (vi) Herbal compositions for treatment or
prevention of neurological disorders; (vii) Process for preparing herbal
compositions for treatment or prevention of inflammatory diseases; (viii) Herbal
composition for therapeutic management of asthma; (ix) Herbal composition with
anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-pyretic properties for alleviation of arthritis; (x)
A process of preparing topical herbal composition for skin disorders; (xi) Herbal
compositions for treatment of gastric ulcers ; (xii) Herbal formulation for treatment
of bone fracture ; (xiii) Process for preparing an herbal formulation for inhibiting
proliferation of plasmodium; (xiv) Herbal Composition For Therapeutic
Management of Tuberculosis And Process Of Preparation thereof; (xv) Herbal
Compositions For Aiding Haemostasis; (xvi) A Synergistic Herbal extract
composition for use in treating and preventing Jaundice and (xvii) Medication to
cure mastitis in animals.
4. A large quantity of well-dispersed, homogenous high-temperature nanofluids as heat
transfer fluids were prepared by ARCI for solar thermal applications. These nanofluids
have shown excellent stability without sedimentation.

D. Human Capacity Building

1. Under the INSPIRE MANAK Programme, 16 district level and 3 State level exhibition
project competitions and two mentorship workshops were organized.
2. Under INSPIRE scheme, ₹ 36.42 crore was released towards scholarship for 5462
students (Direct Mode), ₹0.92 crore was released towards scholarship and mentorship for
209 students (Institutional Mode) and Rs. 37.54 crore was released towards fellowship
to 988 scholars.
3. Under Vigyan Jyoti Prgoramme, orientation session on career counselling, cyber security
and stress management were conducted, science camps, science quizzes and Atal
Tinkering Lab workshops were organised in different Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas.

E. Scientific Research
1. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun established glacier thinning
in the Garhwal Himalaya using limited ground-based surveys and extensive remote
sensing analyses.
2. B cells are an essential component of humoral immunity. Their primary function is to
mount antigen-specific antibody responses to eliminate pathogens. Despite an increase
in B-cell number, in a recent study conducted by Bose Institute, it is found that serum-
IgG levels were low in patients with breast cancer.
3. A study to understand the long-time asymptotic behaviour of the position distribution of
a run-and-tumble particle (RTP) in 2D, that too, in the presence of translational diffusion
was undertaken by the Scientists of Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru.
4. RRI researchers verified some earlier findings about Markarian (Mrk) 180 (a BL Lacertae
galaxy) associated to the Telescope Array (TA) hotspot of ultra-high energy cosmic rays.
In the study, ‘Exploring the Emission Mechanisms of Mrk 180 with long term X-ray and
γ-ray data’, they have ruled out the possibility of Mrk 180 to be a source of the UHECR
events contributing to the TA hotspot for conservative strengths of extragalactic magnetic
fields.
5. For the first time using data obtained from a combination of optical tweezers and
cryogenic field emission scanning electron microscopy, an inverse correlation between
the crossover modulus and the average pore diameter of the aging suspension
microstructures for the different suspension concentrations and probe particle sizes has
been established by the Scientist of RRI.
6. Scientist from S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata,
demonstrated the efficient re-configurability of spin-wave (SW) dynamics as well as SW
avoided crossing by varying bias magnetic field orientation in triangular shaped
Ni80Fe20 nanodot arrays. This result paves way for the development of integrated on-
chip magnonic devices operating in the gigahertz frequency regime.
7. A team of scientists from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences
(ARIES), Nanital, discovered a solar eruption maintaining “surprisingly” constant
temperature in the solar atmosphere.
8. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow has conducted a study
delineating the Permian eustatic changes across the Gondwana continents that will be
useful in inter-regional correlations and palaeogeographic reconstructions and discusses
their palaeodepositional model.
9. In another study conducted by BSIP Fig fossils from the early Paleogene of the Indian
subcontinent highlight the significant role of north moving Indian plate in its early
 diversification. The study suggests that the major proliferation of this genus took place
around Paleocene and Miocene. This study would further help in better understanding of
the historical biogeography of pan-tropical genus Ficus as there is a persistent
incongruity between fossil data and existing molecular phylogenetic results.
10. A multi-institutional Centre of Excellence has been supported by this Department with
IIT Bombay as lead and IIT Hyderabad and Industrial partners as collaborators,
envisaging coordinated and synchronized research for technology development and
uptake on Indigenous Membranes, Simulation modeling, Life cycle analysis and techno
economic feasibility of desalination membranes.
11. 8 Applied Research and Technology Assessment projects have been supported in the
month of March 2023 in the areas like Hybrid RO-humidification-dehumidification
technology , optimal spray technology, antifouling membranes, hybrid Solar thermal
power desalination technologies etc.

F. Scientific Infrastructure Building

1. Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher
Educational Institutions (FIST) Program
Thirty Eight (38) departments and PG colleges have been supported for establishing the
scientific infrastructure under FIST Program of this Department.
2. Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE)
Support has been provided to five universities by the Department as the special drive to
strengthen the research infrastructure in Universities of various States.
3. Synergistic Training Program Utilizing the Scientific and Technological
Infrastructure (STUTI)
Nine STUTI Program Management Units have identified several DST supported
Department/Institutes which have conducted 10 training programs across the country that
imparted training to 350 researchers.
4. Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (SATHI)
SATHI center at Banaras Hindu University has been strengthened by providing major
grant from DST to expand their R&D activities.
5. Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (SAIF): The support has been provided
to two SAIF Centers Karnataka University, Dharwad and Mahatma Gandhi University,
Kottayam for augmenting research infrastructure.
6. The Third Programme Management and Monitoring Committee (PMMC) meeting for
review of the progress of the NCG (National Centre of Geodesy) and RCG’s established
across the country was held on 15th March 2023. During the meeting possible future
research areas to strengthen the Geospatial Science in the Country were also discussed.
7. Expert Committee meeting on Geospatial Capacity Building was held on 23rd March
2023. The meeting aimed to review the various Summer/ Winter Schools and Geo-
innovation Challenges held in the current Cycle ending on 31 st March 2023, bottlenecks
faced, possible solutions and alignment of the next call for proposals as per the
requirement of the Country.
8. Series of meetings under the chairmanship of Shri R. S. Sharma, Chairman, Geospatial
Data Promotion and Development Committee (GDPDC) were held at DST, New Delhi
with various stakeholders such as Survey of India (SOI), National Remote Sensing
Center (NRSC), Geological Survey of India (GSI), Directorate General of Hydrocarbon
(DGH), NBSS&LUP, BISAG-N, The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &
Industry (FICCI)/ AGI and Forest Survey of India (FSI). These meetings aimed to discuss
activities being carrying out by the concerned departments and their possible role and
contribution in implementation of the National Geospatial Policy (NGP-2022).
9. MoU between Survey of India (SoI) and Govt. of Tamil Nadu was signed on 07-03-2023
for Sharing of Tamil Nadu CORS Data and Upgradation of Infrastructure by SoI.
10. A delegation of Survey of India participated in the 'UN-GGIM-AP Executive Board
Meeting" and, International Seminar on 'Geo-Enabled Effective Land Administration'
from 13-03-2023 to 14-03-2023 in Singapore. The delegation also participated in the
meeting of Geo-Connect Asia 2023 from 13-03-2023 to 16-03-2023 in Singapore.
11. Joint Boundary Field Inspection between DDS, Bangladesh and IC, Tripura, India at
Habibganj (Bangladesh) / Khowai (Tripura, India) sector held during 18-03-2023 to 22-
03-2023 which was attended by officials of SoI.

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