In August 2018, Union Government constituted a new 21-member advisory panel on science, technology and innovation called Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). It replaced earlier Scientific Advisory Committee to Prime Minister and to Cabinet.
Composition and Functions:
- Principal Scientific Advisor, government of India – (currently Prof. K. Vijay Raghvan) heads the panel.
- It has nine members, including Chairperson.
- Apart from nine members, it also has twelve special invitees — eleven ex officio secretaries 10 central ministries, related to science, technology, energy and education, are special invitees to the panel.
- Advise PM on science, technology, as well as innovation.
- Coordinate implementation of PMs scientific vision.
- Aid in formulation and timely implementation of major science and technology missions and evolve interdisciplinary technology development programmes.
- Advise government on developing ‘Clusters of Excellence’ in science including city-based R&D clusters.
- Bring together all science and technology partners from academia and institutes to industries near such centres or cities.
PM-STIAC Missions
The PSA’s office held 4 meetings of the PM-STIAC beginning October 2018 and key national missions emerged from the discussions and are being driven by the Office of the PSA. In March 2019, Prof. K. Vijay Raghvan shared details of the nine national missions guided by PM-STIAC. These are:
MISSION 1: Natural Language Translation
Objective:
- To make opportunities and progress science and technology accessible to all, this mission aims to remove the barrier that the requirement of high-level of facility in English poses today.
- Using a combination of machine and human translation, the mission will eventually enable access to teaching and research material bilingually i.e. in English and one’s native Indian language.
It is planned to set up an eco-system which involves, central and state-government agencies and start-ups who will work with scientists and build implementable solutions.
Lead Agencies:
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Ministry of Human Resource Development
- Department of Science and Technology
MISSION 2: Quantum Frontier
Objective:
- This mission aims to initiate work in control of the quantum mechanical systems, with a large number of degrees of freedom, as one of the great contemporary challenges in fundamental science and technology.
- Building excellence in the quantum frontier through this mission will also be essential for national security and in the development of quantum computers, quantum chemistry, quantum communication, new materials, quantum sensors and quantum cryptography.
Lead Agencies:
- Department of Science and Technology
- Department of Space
- Department of Atomic Energy
- Defence Research and Development organisation
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
MISSION 3: Artificial Intelligence
Objective:
- There are now incredible advances in data collection, processing and in computation power.
- Intelligent systems can now be deployed in a variety of tasks and decision-making to enable better connectivity and enhance productivity.
- The Artificial Intelligence (AI) mission will focus on efforts that will benefit India in addressing societal needs in areas such as healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities and infrastructure, including smart mobility and transportation.
- This mission will work with extensive academia- industry interactions on developing core research capability at national level which will include international collaborations.
- It will push technology frontiers through the creation of new knowledge and in developing and deploying applications.
Lead Agencies:
- NITI Aayog
- Department of Science and Technology
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Department of Biotechnology
MISSION 4: National Biodiversity Mission
Objective:
- This mission will include a comprehensive documentation of India’s biodiversity with the potential for cataloguing and mapping all lifeforms in India including associated cultural and traditional practices; assessment of the distribution and conservation status of India’s biodiversity; development of a cadre of professionals adept at handling large sets of environmental data for management and monitoring of biodiversity; expansion of knowledge in ecosystem functioning that will inform restoration efforts; establishment of a vibrant biodiversity based economy on a solid foundation of reliable information; engagement with the public; enhanced options for agricultural production and livelihood security and the general well-being of society.
Lead Agencies:
- Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
- Department of Biotechnology
MISSION 5: Electric Vehicles
Objective:
- This mission is critical for India to reduce fossil fuel consumption and mitigate emissions.
- Electric Vehicles (EVs) are a major component of India’s mobility plans. For EV’s to become economically viable and scalable, focused research, development and innovation are needed to build indigenous capability. Vehicles need to be energy efficient, use light and efficient batteries that function well in our conditions with materials that are recyclable.
- Developing vehicle subs-systems and components for Indian requirements including rare earth based electric motors, Li-ion batteries, power electronics etc. using academia- industry collaboration.
Lead Agencies:
- Department of Science and Technology
- Department of Heavy Industries
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
- Ministry of Power
- NITI Aayog
MISSION 6: Bio-Science for Human Health
Objective:
- The diversity of Indians and of our environment requires a large-scale study of human genomes specific to our lifestyle and how this impact health and disease patterns.
- The mission will make use of healthy- and disease- samples to understand the impact of nature and nurture on health.
- The primary goal of the mission is to construct comprehensive reference maps of genomes and to understand the dynamics of how exposure to different environments have impact on our bodies.
- The mission will focus on the genomic study of populations of humans to identify and unravel the genetic basis and prevalence of rare and inherited diseases.
- The outcome will help stimulate better diagnosis and treatment that can feed into the health care system of the country.
Lead Agencies:
- Department of Biotechnology
- Department of Health Research
- Department of Health
- Department of Science and Technology
- Department of Atomic Energy
MISSION 7: Waste to Wealth
Objective:
- The goal of the Waste to Wealth mission is to identify, develop and deploy technologies to treat waste to generate energy, recycle materials and extract worth.
- The mission will also work to identify and support development of new technologies that hold promise in creating a clean and green environment.
- The mission will assist and augment the Swachh Bharat and Smart Cities project by leveraging science, technology and innovation to create circular economic models that are financially viable for waste management to streamline waste handling in India.
Lead Agencies:
- Department of Biotechnology
- Department of Science and Technology
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Ministry of Urban Development
- Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
MISSION 8: Deep Ocean Exploration
Objective:
- The purposes of this mission is to scientifically explore the deep oceans towards improving our understanding of the blue frontier.
- The information from this mission will address issues arising from long term changes in the ocean due to climate change. The focus areas cover the development of technologies for deep sea exploration and exploitation of living (biodiversity) and non-living (minerals) resources; development of underwater vehicles and underwater robotics; development of ocean climate change advisory services; technological innovations and conservational methods for sustainable utilisation of marine bio-resources; offshore based desalination techniques; and renewable energy generation.
Lead Agencies:
- Ministry of Earth Sciences
- Department of Biotechnology
- Department of Space
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
- Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
- Defence Research and Development Organisation
- Geological Survey of India
- National Hydrographic Office
- National Biodiversity Authority
MISSION 9: AGNIi
Objective:
- This mission launched by the O/o PSA aims to support the national efforts to boost the innovation ecosystem in the country by connecting innovators across industry, individuals and the grassroots to the market and helping commercialise innovative solutions. It will provide a platform for innovators to bring their technology ready products and solutions to industry and the market thereby helping propel techno-entrepreneurship which can usher a new era of inclusive socio-economic growth.
- The mission includes services across the techno-commercialization chain required to support and upscale market-ready indigenous innovations. The initiative includes working with government R&D laboratories and academia to help commercialise their innovations; collaborate and value add to existing innovation programs; training and capacity building of scientists, innovators, technology transfer offices and technology license offices. Linking specific needs of industry to research laboratories to enable development of cost-effective marketable solutions is another focus of the AGNIi program.
Lead Agency:
- Invest India
Other Major Projects of PM-STIAC
Apart from the 9 missions, the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser has also initiated other major Science, Technology and Innovation projects, including:
- Research Clusters
- Earth Museum
- Brahmaputra River System
- Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM)
- Energy Security
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