The event was organized through online platform on Wednesday on the occasion of CSIR-NISTADS 40th Foundation Day.
The programme was inaugurated by Union Minister for Science & Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan and witnessed motivated speeches from Dr. Shekhar C Mande (DG-CSIR), Prof Ram Gopal Rao (Director, IIT Delhi), Prof. Virendra K. Vijay (National Coordinator, UBA), , Dr. Ranjana Aggarwal (Director, CSIR-NISTADS).
A tripartite MoU to this effect was signed by the three parties on 28th July 2020 at CSIR to work jointly for post COVID fast track action plan to create livelihood opportunities in rural areas, particularly for the people who have returned to their native villages in the lockdown period.
Over the years CSIR has developed several appropriate technologies which could be deployed in rural areas for development and livelihood generation and achieving sustainable development goals.
These technologies will now be disseminated to society through the Higher Education Institutional network of UBA and local chapters of VIBHA. CSIR- National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (CSIR-NISTADS) is acting as a nodal CSIR Lab to establish linkages between CSIR laboratories, UBA, VIBHA, and stakeholders.
Union Minister for Science & Technology spoke about the crucial and catalytic role of Science & Technology interventions in bringing equity and equality in the process of development.
“Unnat Bharat Abhiyan” is a flagship programme of Ministry of Education conceptualised and launched in IIT Delhi, with a vision of transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an Inclusive India.
A lot of work has been done for the development of the nation’s rural areas by the higher educational institutions, faculty members and students collectively in last 6 years.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan now constitutes 45 Regional Coordinating Institutions (RCIs) and 2,614 Participating Institutions (PIs). Till date, a total of 13,760 villages have been adopted under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan.
The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)having a pan-India presence, has a dynamic network of 38 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 3 Innovation Complexes and 5 units.
CSIR covers a wide spectrum of science and technology and provides significant technological intervention in many areas with regard to societal efforts which include environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy, farm and non-farm sectors.
Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), as a science movement with swadeshi spirit, has a greater role to play in addressing the scientific and technological concerns of Bharat and serve the masses of India at every given opportunity.