Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director CSIR-NPL during 27th CGPM at Paris, France
In a historic election, Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, has been elected as a member of the prestigious International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM). Prof. Gopal was declared an elected Member of CIPM in the recently held 27th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) meeting during 15-18 November 2022 in Paris, France.
The election of Prof. Gopal is not only significant for CSIR-NPL and the advancement of metrology in the country, wherein metrology is the backbone of industries and national missions of Govt of India i.e. ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, ‘Clean and green India”, “Swasth Bharat, Sashakt Bharat”, etc., but is also a pride of the nation as it would enhance India’s global visibility and participation in global decision making. Prof. Achanta is among 18 elected members from different countries and the seventh in Indian history elected to CIPM.
The CIPM is a supreme international committee that functions under the authority of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), the highest intergovernmental international organisation created as a diplomatic treaty called the Meter Convention signed on 20 May 1875 in Paris. It is responsible for the development and implementation of International Systems of Units, universally abbreviated as SI, its wide dissemination, making necessary modifications from time to time for the advancement of science and technology. The advancement of Industry in the country is directly dependent on the state of its metrology capabilities.
At present, CGPM is represented by 64 member countries and meets every fourth year at the International Bureau of Weight and Measures (BIPM), France. The CIPM advises and recommends the amendments, changes, and alterations to the SI to the CGPM for formal adoption. It can also pass resolutions and recommendations about the basic units of measurement, if needed, at its own authority. The primary objective of the CIPM comprising 18 members from 18 member states (nations), is to promote international harmonisation of SI, meet annually, and deliberate reports sent by its 18 Consultative Committees (CCs), among other matters brought to its notice as per mandate. Each member of the CIPM takes responsibility forthe Chairmanship of one CC.
The CSIR-NPL, the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of India was established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi on 4 January 1947. The Government of India enacted the “Standards of Weights and Measures Act” for the first time in 1956 to ensure that every citizen has access to uniform standards of weights and measures that are traceable to the SI units. During the year 1957, India became the member of the CGPM.
After taking over the charge of the Directorship of CSIR-NPL, New Delhi, in June 2022, Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta is continuously working towards taking the metrology movement forward not only at the national level but internationally too. Dr K.S. Krishnan, the founder Director of CSIR-NPL was the first member elected to CIPM. The last elected CIPM member of India was Prof. E.S.R. Gopal, the then Director, CSIR-NPL (1991-1997).
This year CGPM has adopted seven important resolutions including new SI prefixes ronna (10²?), quetta (10³?), ronto (10-²?) and quecto (10-³?). With this nomenclature, mass of the electron (1 quectogram) and weight of earth (1 ronnagram) can be expressed easily in SI units. The CGPM also plans to resolve the issue of a leap second.
The details of all the important decisions taken during this CGPM are available at the BIPM website: https://www.bipm.org/documents/20126/64811223/Resolutions-2022.pdf/281f3160-fc56-3e63-dbf7-77b76500990f.
