The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) continued to contribute significantly to the country’s development in the critical areas such as energy, food, water and drugs, Vijayamohan K. Pillai, Director of CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute has said.
Addressing the CSIR foundation day ceremony here on Saturday, he said there was a perception among the public that CSIR was not doing enough but the fact was that it continued to contribute significantly in these areas despite shortage of funds.
“The CSIR is making the contribution despite the fact that India spends only a paltry 0.9 per cent of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to science and technology,” he also said.
Delivering the CSIR foundation day address, Prof R. N. Mukherjee, Director of Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Kolkotta, said the nation’s economy was powered by science.
“The fundamentals that underpin chemical processes involve selective formation and breaking of chemical bonds. While the carbon-carbon bond is fundamental to catalysis and all of organic chemistry, the carbon-nitrogen bond is fundamental to the industry,” he said adding this clearly indicated that the country’s economy was powered by science.
Modern concepts of electrochemical processes were enunciated by three Nobel laureates – Jaroslav Heyrovsky by his work on polarography, Henry Taube by his work on electron transfer mechanisms, and Rudolph Marcus by his theory of electron transfer, he said.
The foundation day marked the completion of 72 years of CSIR’s existence and the laboratory’s scientific and technological capabilities were showcased to the general public.
About 30,000 people including school and college students visited the stalls on the opening day on Friday and Saturday.
For public view
The major Research and Development Divisions of CECRI – Corrosion and Materials Protection, Electrochemical Power Systems, Functional Materials, Chloralkali, Electrocatalysis, Biosensors, Electrochemcical Material Science, Electroplating, Electrochemicals and Electrometallurgy – displayed their work in the exhibition.
The public and students were also explained about the ongoing research activities and the major achievements of CSIR-CECRI.
