GUWAHATI, Feb 28 - Union Ministry of Science and Technology has come up with large-scale opportunities to fund innovative research projects at different levels to universities and colleges as well as to individual researchers for the progress of scientific research in the country.
This was stated here today by Dr Amitava Roy, Scientist-F from Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
Dr Roy was at University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya (USTM), to address the students and scientific community on the occasion of National Science Day. He also took part in the science exhibition with the theme �Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future� and encouraged the students through meaningful interactions.
Delivering the keynote address at a conference in USTM, Dr Roy said that a considerable number of programmes had been undertaken by the Government while several had been announced recently for funding.
Giving a power-point presentation, he said that the Science Engineering Research Board (SERB) was an autonomous body for funding research and it had started operation recently.
�The Technology Innovation Policy for societal movement was initiated in 2013 and now the Government is emphasising on sustainable inclusive growth through different policies,� he said.
In his detailed presentation, Dr Roy stated that research proposals coming from rural areas, especially from Northeastern region, was very few. Only 23 projects from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (1), Tripura (2), Nagaland (1), Mizoram (4), Meghalaya (2) and Manipur (3) were sanctioned by SERB during 2010-2017, he added.
Altogether 1,000 students from USTM and RIST were engaged in the science exhibition. The sub-themes of the science exhibition were Renewable Energy, Power Conservation and Management; Low cost housing, environment safety and Waste management; Education and Social Development; Food, agriculture and Health and IT Enabled services, Technology and Sustainable Development.
