Science and Tech Ministry worked on boosting India’s innovation value chain in 2021

New Delhi, Dec 27: With an eye on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the main area of work for the Science and Technology ministry in 2021 was boosting India’s entire innovation value chain comprising researchers, academic and research institutes, startups and industry.
While on the one hand, the ministry’s National Supermodel Committee predicted the rise and fall of the pandemic over time, on the other hand, NIDHI (National Initiative for Developing & Harnessing Innovations), through its incubator network and its startups tried to resolve the crisis.
The institutes under the umbrella of Science and Technology ministry also played a critical role in tackling the pandemic.
A senior ministry official said that during 2021, the focus remained on boosting India’s entire innovation value chain comprising researchers, academic and research institutes, startups and industry.
As variants of concern of COVID-19 emerged in the country, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), studied over 80,000 genome sequences to understand super spreader events, outbreaks and strengthen public health interventions across the country to help in breaking the chains of transmission.
The draft of the new Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy that aims to bring about profound changes through short-term, medium-term, and long-term mission mode projects by building a nurtured ecosystem promoting research and innovation on the part of both individuals and organisations was also released by the ministry this year.
To give an impetus to women to pursue science, the second phase of Vigyan Jyoti programme was commenced on the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
The programme aims at encouraging girls to take interest in science and build a career in STEM to 50 more districts adding to the existing 50 districts across the country.
The National Innovation Portal (NIP) was also launched by the ministry which is currently home to about 1.15 lakh innovations scouted from common people of the country, covering engineering, agriculture, veterinary and human health.
In a bid to augment the vaccine production during the peak of the second wave, the ministry extended its support to some public sector companies with grants under the Mission COVID Suraksha.
Several innovative solutions like AI-powered contact-free health monitor and step-down ICU, multiplex RT-PCR kit, ‘saline gargle RT-PCR method’ for testing COVID-19 samples, 3D-printed masks coated with anti-viral agents and high purity oxygen concentrator were developed by institutions under the umbrella of the ministry and ministry backed projects.
After the cabinet reshuffle, Union minister Jitendra Singh took charge of the Science and Technology ministry.
The official said the ministry aims to build a shared, professionally managed, and strong S&T infrastructure, readily accessible to academia, start-ups, manufacturing, industry and R&D labs to improve preparedness in tackling the pandemic-like situations and also boosting the country’s innovation and science sector. (PTI)