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SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY
Eternal India
encyclopedia
SCIENTIFIC ORGANISATIONS
Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR)
The CSIR which was constituted in 1942 is today an integrated
network of 39 research laboratories and institutes with 100 re-
gional centres, employing 7000 highly qualified scientists and tech-
nologists supported by an additional 14,000 skilled scientific and
technical back-up personnel. It carries out research of value not
only for industry but also to other sectors of the economy such as
agriculture, mining, power utilities, transport and defence, besides
basic research.
The CSIR established a chain of national laboratories from
1950 in a wide variety of fields - chemistry, physics, glass and ce-
ramics, food technology, metallurgy, drugs, electro chemistry,
leather, botany, electronics etc. The emphasis has been on applied
research and collaboration with the industries concerned.
Some of the major industrial achievements are: Washeries to
upgrade high-ash coal and new coke blends for the steel plants;
milk powder and infant food from buffalo milk by the Central Food
Technological Research Institute, Mysore; export quality leather
goods; design and engineering expertise of a high order using
modern computerised design and engineering methods; know-how
for optical glass manufacture by the Central Glass and Ceramic
Research Institute.
The National Institute of Oceanography in Goa was estab-
lished in 1966 under the CSIR. The NIO is engaged, among others,
in development of offshore oil fields and research and development
projects for exploration and utilisation of the natural resources of
the sea. It has demarcated a prime area of 3,00,000 km in the
central Indian Ocean for deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules
and located rich fishing grounds in India’s Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ) on the basis of biological and chemical studies. The
Antarctic expedition sponsored by the NIO and joined in by other
CSIR laboratories is another achievement. The NIO manages the
research vessel
ORV Sagar Kanya
of the Department of Ocean
Development.
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of the CSIR in asso-
ciation with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and other inter-
national agencies has the responsibility of calibration of measuring
instruments and standardisation and maintenance of primary stan-
dards of physical measurements of length, mass, time, tempera-
ture, current and light. Besides maintaining standards, the NPL
has developed soft ferrets, silver, mica and ceramic rods and
capacitors and a range of carbon products including cinema arc
carbons and advanced materials like electronic grade silicon for
semi-conductor devices and carbon fibres. A public sector under-
taking called Central Electronics Ltd (CEL) was set up at Sa-
hibabad, UP, near Delhi, to commercialise the products and materi-
als developed by the NPL.
The National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad set
up in 1961 has been engaged in the study of earthquakes by
preparing seismic maps. It provides deep seismic sounding studies
(DSSS) and profiles of different parts of the Indian subcontinental
crust.
In the field of chemical sciences, the CSIR laboratories are:
National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Regional Research Labora-
tory (RRL), Hyderabad, now called the Indian Institute of Chemi-
cal Technology (IICT), Central Food Technological Research Insti-
tute (CFTRI), Indian Toxicological Research Centre (ITRC), In-
dian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) and Central Drug Research Insti-
tute (CDRI).
The IIP in collaboration with Engineers India Ltd (EIL) has
developed a technology for production of food grade hexane, a
solvent used for production of vegetable oils. This has replaced the
obsolete technology of oleum treatment at the Bharat Petroleum
Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Bombay. The BPCL unit of 25,000 T P A
capacity based on IIP - EIL technology is successfully operating
since June 1991.
The IIP, in collaboration with the Indian Petrochemicals Com-
plex Ltd (IPCL), Vadodara, has developed a state-of-the-art Pt-
re bimetallic reforming catalyst which so far had been the monopoly
of the multinationals. Catalytic reforming is a secondary refinery
process for production of aromatics like benzene, toluene and
xylenes which are major petrochemical feedstocks. It is also used
to boost the octane requirement of gasolene. The catalyst has been
successfully commercialised and is presently in operation at Ma-
dras Refineries Ltd (MRL) and IPCL.
The NCL has isolated the active principles with insecticidal
properties from neem seeds and their formulations have been
prepared and tested. The process has been transferred to industry
for commercialisation.
The CFTRI, Mysore, has played a unique role in food process-
ing. It developed technology used for manufacture of Amul baby
milk powder, an example of import substitution. Most recently it
has developed a process of extraction of edible oil from rice bran.
Zeolite series developed by the NCL and produced by Associ-
ated Cement Companies Ltd (ACC) are used by Indian Petro-
chemicals Ltd (IPC1) for catalytic isomerisation of metaxylene.
The process is known as xylofining and leads to increased produc-
tion in addition to lowering the costs of intermediates.
Associated Research Organisations &
Laboratories - See - Vol-II
Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR)
India’s achievements in the field of agriculture during the past
three decades have been remarkable. From a grain importing
nation, India has now become self-sufficient in foodgrains and has
even begun exporting foodgrains. (Total foodgrain production in
1991 was 1762,00,000 tonnes). India has boosted its agricultural
growth from 0.3 per cent in 1945-46 to 3.5 per cent after 1977.
Wheat production has gone up more than seven times from
65.0.
000
tonnes in 1950-51 to 545,00,000 tonnes in 1990-91
and
rice production has increased more than three times from
206.0.
000
tonnes to 746,00,000 tonnes in 1990-91. The Green
Revolution of 1967-68 was made possible by the introduction of
new high-yielding varieties of Mexican wheat and dwarf rice va-
rieties evolved by the International Rice Research Institute. The
even more spectacular increase of food grains production that was
witnessed in 1983-84 was due to expansion in supplies of seed,
fertiliser and pesticides to farmers and better management as well
as increase in the provision of institutional credit for agriculture.