Harsh Vardhan urges Indian scientists to use renewable, green material

Addressing the staff of the CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre (CSIR-SERC), a Laboratory of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),Harsh Vardhan said, “More than ever before we need low cost technologies for rapidly filling up the demand-supply deficit. For the first time a Prime Minister has set a deadline for providing every family a roof above its head.”

“Construction technologies, high science products and specialized services developed by SERC would form an essential component for the Prime Minister’s project. I urge the community of scientists here to ensure affordability as well as safety," he said.

Recalling the many laurels earned by CSIR-SERC over the past 50 years, Dr Harsh Vardhan lauded the 2007 achievement of re-engineering the navigational pan of the Pamban Railway Bridge over the Palk Strait which connects Rameshwaram to mainland India.

“This is a project which ought to be emulated all over the world. The bridge is over a century old but rock solid,” he remarked.

The Minister, who was accompanied by Dr M.O. Garg, Director-General, CSIR, and Dr A.B. Mandal, Director, SERC, visited various laboratories in CSIR-SERC which included Earthquake Engineering, Structural Health Monitoring, Wind Engineering, Structural Concrete Engineering and Technology and Advanced Computational Structural Mechanics. He interacted with the staff and scientists and listen to them as they related the varied challenges they face.

He emphasized that they should not be satisfied with past achievements but constantly try to think out-of-the-box. Their goal should be to pursue new research areas which could meet the country’s needs as well as put her ahead in select technology domains related to the activities of the Institute.

A large number of industrialists connected with infrastructure were present on the occasion. They included D Adinarayana Rao (BGR Energy Systems Ltd), S S Mani (BHEL, Ranipet), Shri Vivek Chari (TAG Corporation), S Ravishankar (Adani Infra India),  S Ram Mohan (NLC, Neyveli) and D Srinivasa Rao (Hindustan Shipyard Ltd).

While thanking the industry representatives for supporting CSIR-SERC, he called for greater strengthening of the partnership.

"The Prime Minister has given a call for make in India. We need to generate millions of jobs within a couple of years because this country has a youth bulge. Seamless partnership will help develop products and technologies for the benefit of the common man,” he pointed out.

At the same time, the entrepreneurs should focus on using renewable and green materials or Indian origin, including materials based on nano-technology which have minimum carbon foot print as well are low cost and sustainable.