Secretary Level Meeting organized

17th February, 2022, New Delhi

Keeping in view the fact that Technology is pivotal and a key driver for social and economic development and achieving SDGs and $ 5 Trillion economy by 2025, a Secretary Level Meeting was organized at the National Agricultural Science Centre Complex, Pusa, New Delhi today.

Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR); Dr. Shekhar Mande, Secretary (DSIR) & DG (CSIR); Dr. Rajesh K. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Bio Technology; Dr. Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush and Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India attended the Meeting.

Given an extensive network of Institutions and diverse, but closely linked domain areas of research & development, there is adequate opportunity to build mega networks for convergence in several important areas. It was resolved to work unitedly towards realizing the full potential of technologies and bring new and emerging technologies in the health, agriculture, education, energy, clean water, climate change, automobiles, transport and nutrition, etc.

The scope for developing the Mega Networks on the following areas with DARE/ICAR as a key partner was discussed in the Meeting:

The Aromatic & Medicinal Plants involving the Ayush Ministry, ICMR, ICAR & CSIR and DBT to work on chemical composition, characterization, quality assessment and pharmaceutical properties (CSIR / Ayush / ICMR); the development of the new varieties and production packages including chemical free farming along river Ganga (ICAR-CSIR) and biotechnology and biotechnological research (DBT).
The Gene Editing involving DBT, ICAR, DST, CSIR, and others as partners. The need to develop a network by converging the work done so far and the experience and expertise developed.
The Digital Platform for agri-food system: IMD, ISRO, DST, CSIR, ICAR, IITs and MeitY. The Mega Project may work on developing the low-cost sensors (CSIR and IITs); crop growth modelling (ISRO, IMD and ICAR), etc. in an inclusive ecosystem of Cyber Agro Physical System.
The Mega Network on Nutri-Sensitive Farming involving ICMR for health and nutritional standards, ICAR (development of Bio-fortified varieties; local food systems, Nutri-Thali, health foods and seed system of Bio-fortified varieties); CSIR and ICMR (nutri-products and nutritive quality assessment); and biotechnology & biotechnological research (DBT).
Unravelling the biogenomes: ICAR-DBT and other scientific organizations to work on the evolutionary perspective in the effective application of the power of genomic tools for the development of climate-resilient crops. The linkages and collaboration with DBT, DST, CSIR and others may help in developing the climate-resilience and multiple disease-resistance in the crops.
The network on vaccines and diagnostics and Nutraceuticals involving CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, and DBT for vaccines & diagnostics and Nutraceuticals from seaweeds & mariculture. One Health Approach is already under the Ministry of Health with the related Scientific Departments as partners.

(Source: ADG (Technical Coordination), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi)