The Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri Jaideep Dhankhar, visited the CSIR-IIP (CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum), Dehradun, campus on 31 August 2024. He was accompanied by his Spouse, Dr (Smt) Sudesh Dhankhar and Hon’ble Governor Uttarakhand, Lt Gen. Gurmit Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd).

The dignitaries inaugurated the programme by planting Rudraksha plants under the campaign launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” at the CSIR-IIP campus. In his welcome address, Dr Harender Singh Bisht, Director CSIR-IIP, provided a brief overview of CSIR-IIP, including the history, research activities, and achievements, and also highlighted the S&T contributions of the institute to the nation.

Lt Gen. Gurmit Singh, in his address, commended CSIR-IIP for its achievements. He emphasised the role of CSIR-IIP in energy security, mitigating climate change and economic development. He further mentioned that CSIR-IIP will play a great role in achieving Viksit Bharat 2047, Net Zero 2070 and UNSDG goals.

Shri Jaideep Dhankhar, in his insightful address, acknowledged the remarkable technological achievements of CSIR-IIP. He applauded several key accomplishments of the institute, including the development of the LPG Sweetening Catalyst used by eleven Indian and two foreign refineries, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, especially mentioning the 2019 and 2024 Republic Day flypast, Biogas to PNG, mitigation of forest fires in hilly regions of Uttarakhand and human resources training and development programmes for the hydrocarbon, petrochemical, and automotive industries. Shri Dhankhar further said that we have only one planet, and all stakeholders need to converge to protect it. He also emphasised the need to develop environment-friendly and sustainable technologies and products. He appreciated that CSIR-IIP is doing its bit in that direction.

He urged the optimal utilisation and preservation of natural resources, stressing that usage should be driven by need rather than financial or political power. The Vice President also underscored the importance of the youth in shaping the nation’s future and leveraging the opportunities provided by the government for scientific advancements across all domains like sea, land, sky and space. He also mentioned India’s leadership in the global solar alliance and global biofuel alliance. He encouraged government and corporate sectors to loosen their purse for supporting the R&D of research institutes like CSIR and emphasised that every rupee spent on research and development contributes to the nation’s growth. He highlighted the importance of Quantum Computing and the Green Hydrogen Mission.

The Vice President also invited CSIR-IIP students to the new parliament building and promised that his office would contact CSIR-IIP to invite two batches of students in September 2024.

The event concluded with the National Anthem, marking the end of a memorable and impactful visit.