Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh launched on 24 June 2024 the “One Week One Theme” (OWOT) campaign showcasing recent success stories of India in different streams of science and technology.
“Our aim is to integrate the efforts of all CSIR labs working on similar projects to reduce overlap and optimise resources,” said Dr Jitendra Singh. He further said, the ‘One Week One Theme’ initiative under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) aims to make innovation inclusive for all.
Pertinent to mention, ‘One week One Theme’ is the brainchild of Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, which is built on the legacy and success of the ‘One Week One Lab’ (OWOL) initiative that started last year. OWOL was also made possible under his guidance.
Speaking on the occasion, the S&T Minister highlighted the aim and objective of the initiative, which is to create awareness among citizens about the progress and development in labs, to benefit them by giving them new avenues and opportunities for employment, empowering stakeholders such as MSMEs, Startups, SHGs, scientists, researchers by integration and collaboration with industry.
Around 24 technology transfers, product launches, and MoU’s were signed in the presence of the Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh, tracing CSIR’s initial journey, he said CSIR has a history pre-dating to India’s Independence; still, industry linkage had not happened to a great extent. However, we have tried to integrate industry-academia and research & entrepreneurship in the last decade.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is to empower farmers and common citizens by not limiting Science to labs, but reaching out to them to promote ease of living.”
Dr Jitendra Singh expressed satisfaction over the success of OWOL and wished for similar success to OWOT. He also announced that he would scale up this initiative from CSIR labs to other facilities. He also gave the agenda for next year as One Week One Integrated Theme (OWIT). Dr Singh further shared that progress in the Deep-Sea mission, Aroma Mission, Millet Economy, Bio-economy and Next Generation Technology will propel the Indian economy to grow faster and become 4th largest from 5th largest.
The Minister also recalled how the local population was unaware of the work going on inside some of these labs, but after creating awareness among them, they could be made a part of the whole developmental journey of tulip cultivation and 108 petal Lotus developed by CSIR are shining examples. “We are going beyond CSIR realms,” he said.
Dr N Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR, and R Pradeep Kumar, Director CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee, were also present.
Eight themes will be showcased by CSIR labs, including Energy and Energy Devices (EED); Chemicals and Petrochemicals (CLP); Aerospace, Electronics, Implementation & Strategic Sectors; Civil Infrastructure and Engineering (CIE), Agriculture, Nutrition and Biotech (ANB); Healthcare (HTC); Mining, Minerals, Metals and Materials (4M); Ecology, Environment, Earth, Ocean Sciences and Water (E3OW).
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Adapted from PIB
