CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi, dedicated its "One Week, One Lab" programme from 16-22 July 2023 to honour their groundbreaking accomplishments and foster collaborations in the road construction and transportation sector across the country.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology and Vice President CSIR addressed the audience and launched the Steel Slag movies. He also launched an Online Road Safety game for school children developed by CSIR-CRRI along with industry partner Chipsoft Solutions Pvt. Ltd, promoting safe and sustainable transport concepts.
Shri Rajashekhar N, IPS, DIG Modernisation, BPR&D, Ministry of Home Affairs graced the occasion as Chief Guest and Ms Rajni Gandhi, Founder and Secretary of TRAX Road Safety NGO was the Guest of Honour. The guests released Hindi Patrika Sadak Darpan, issues 23 & 24. Over 150 students from various schools and engineering colleges participated and witnessed the state-of-art facilities in CSIR-CRRI. A thought-provoking lecture on Intellectual Property Rights was also delivered by Dr Bhanu, Senior Principal Scientist at IPU CSIR during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations as “Rashtriya Boudhik Sampada Mahotsav” (National Intellectual Property Festival).
Earlier, the curtain raiser of the “One Week, One Lab” programme was organised on 16 July 2023 set the theme as "Waste to Wealth" for sustainable road construction in India. Esteemed guests, Dr VK Saraswat, Member NITI Aayog & Chancellor, JNU, and Prof. PK Sikdar, Chairman RC and President ICT, graced the occasion as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour, respectively. They also visited the Steel Slag lab during their visit. The event witnessed the release of the Hindi magazine "???? ??????? ????? ???? 2023" (Road Research Journal Collection 2023) and the CSIR-CRRI “One Week, One Lab” memento by the esteemed guests. Engaging presentations from CRRI, Government, Academia, and Industry took place, focusing on the utilisation of various waste materials in road construction. The day concluded with a panel discussion on the way forward and felicitations to all speakers and the Chairman by Director CSIR-CRRI.
The Industry Meet had Ms Ruchika Chaudhary Govil, Additional Secretary Ministry of Steel, as the Chief Guest, and Shri Mahendra Kumar Gupta (IRPS), Joint Secretary, CSIR, as the Guest of Honour. Their addresses facilitated fruitful discussions on bridging the gap between research and industry practices. More than 100 industry representatives actively participated, fostering collaborations between CRRI, the road construction industry, and the Steel Industry. The sessions were chaired by Shri RK Pandey, Advisor, MORTH India, Shri IK Pateriya, Director (Technical), NRIDA, Dr LP Singh, Director General, NCCBM and Shri SK Nirmal, Secretary-General IRC. An impactful address by Hon'ble MoS, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State, Govt of India, on the future of steel research and its impact on road infrastructure development added significance to the event. During the industry meet, CSIR-CRRI scientists presented their latest inventions, technologies & possible areas for collaboration and Industries gave presentations of their latest products/services in the areas of transportation sector.
During the event following Project Agreement and Technology Transfer Agreements were signed:
i) A Technology Transfer Agreement signed on 18 July 2023 with Somani Ecobuild Products LLP for the development of cementitious material for stabilisation of the Sub-Base & Base course in Flexible Pavement.
ii) A Project Based Agreement signed on 18 July 2023 with Arjas Steel Private Limited for the Development of customised steel slag valorisation Technology for LD/BOF steel slag for Arjas Steel Private Limited, Tadipatri Plant, Andhra Pradesh for conversion of BOF Steel Slag as Road Making Aggregates.
Day fourth Young Researchers Conclave witnessed Shri Chetan Prakash Jain, IPRS, CMD, CEL & JS, Finance (FA), CSIR, as the Chief Guest, and CMDRe Amit Rastogi, CMD of NRDC (National IP Festival), as the Guest of Honour in the inaugural session. The inaugural address by Shri Chetan Prakash Jain highlighted the significance of various wings of DSIR, CSIR, NRDC and CEL and also emphasised the role of young researchers. This also included a lecture on “Technology development conundrum — Researcher’s Perspective” as part of the CSIR-CRRI National Intellectual Property Conclave. He covered the way forward for technology development and the approach towards industrial research and threw light on how to protect innovation and invention through Intellectual Property Rights and the prevailing IP trends across the country. It was followed by the inauguration of a Poster Presentation, Trans Tech Blitz and Virtual Labs and interaction with participants by Shri Chetan Prakash Jain, CMDRe Amit Rastogi and Prof. Manoranjan Parida, Director, CSIR-CRRI.
The second session involved a keynote lecture and question-answer session by Dr Viswajanani Sattigeri, Outstanding Scientist and Head, TKDL-CSIR, the Chief Guest of the session on CSIR-CRRI National Intellectual Property Conclave, on the topic “Intellectual Property — What, Why and How?” She covered a gamut of concepts of IP in the global as well as Indian context. The concluding session was chaired by Dr Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR.
Day 5 workshop on Engaging with State Government at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, featured Shri Vir Vikram Yadav, IAS, Principal Secretary, Works Department, Government of Odisha as the Chief Guest. He enlightened the gathering with his thoughts and inaugurated the exhibition. The discussions during the workshop emphasised collaborative efforts for transportation advancements, research-to-implementation, and bridging gaps. The major theme centred on road asset management and bridge management systems for sustainable infrastructure development. Engaging discussions with government officials, experts and researchers on road safety and innovative technologies were held. The Young Researchers Meet provided an invaluable platform for student engagement and knowledge sharing.
Day 6 at IIT Hyderabad's KRB Auditorium focused on Next Generation Transport. Dr N Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR, & Secretary DSIR, served as the Chief Guest, along with Shri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Ministry of IT, Telangana, as the Guest of Honour. CSIR-CBRI & IIT Hyderabad also signed an MoU. The session delved into the practical applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in road safety, driver behaviour, sustainable pavement using recycled materials, and innovative technologies in road construction and data analytics.
The final day hosted Shri K Moses Chalai, IAS, Secretary, NEC, as the Chief Guest, along with Shri PKH Singh, VSM, ADG BRO (East), and Prof. Parameswar K Iyer, Officiating Director IIT Guwahati, as the Guest of Honour. The focus was on transportation and infrastructure development in the North Eastern region of the country. Experts, government officials, and CRRI scientists engaged in discussions and valuable contributions. An MoU was signed between IIT Guwahati and CSIR-CRRI, fostering research collaboration and student exchange. The event also included a student session with NIT Meghalaya students, allowing a glimpse of their perspectives on road development in the region.
CSIR-CRRI’s weeklong celebration showcased remarkable achievements, engaged with the state, promoted industry collaboration, encouraged student engagement, looked at the North East region and addressed vital road construction and transportation issues. These efforts are expected to significantly contribute to India's sustainable infrastructure development and road safety objectives.
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