March 9, 2020

Mysore/Mysuru: CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) Director General and Secretary, DSIR, New Delhi, Dr. Shekhar C. Mande said that CSIR is working overtime to discover a medicine to contain the deadly Coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of thousands of people across the globe.

Speaking to press persons at CSIR-CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute)here this afternoon, Dr. Shekhar Mande said that the CSIR Society is trying various pharmaceutical combinations and formulations for discovering a drug that can kill the deadly coronavirus and hoped that the CSIR would gain success in its endeavour.

Explaining the initiatives taken by the Government for promoting research in Science, Dr. Mande said that research is going on at Lucknow CSIR Lab on discovering pests and worm resistant cotton species and the first such species is being tried at Nagpur, the Cotton belt of India.

Stating that the Union Government has initiated a Rs. 50-crore project, wherein children with scientific temper are allowed to study the elements of Basic Sciences at CSIR Labs across the country, he said that the project would commence on April1 with the commencement of summer holidays.

Explaining the research being carried out for improving agriculture and floriculture output, Prof. Shekhar said that the CSIR has launched ‘Aroma Mission’ with an objective of developing floriculture through discovery of new species that can withstand the vagaries of nature.

He further said that the Union Government has allowed CSIR to formulate a very effective pain killer using Cannabis.

Dr. Mande and CFTRI Director Dr. KSMS Raghavarao with Scientists M.L. Bhavya, I. Sapna and Sandhya Shawale, prize winners of National Science Writing competition AWSAR.

Earlier, Dr. Shekhar C. Mande delivered a talk on ‘In Science We Trust’, the third in the series of Future India Talks lecture, during which he explained why people need to trust Science and scientists. Stating that Science is looked upon as esoteric and difficult to apprehend, he said that this apprehension about Science and scientists is misplaced. ‘Science is a way of thinking and has nothing to do with untested assumptions. It is important that we place trust in Science and it’s methods,’ he pointed out.

CFTRI Director Dr. KSMS Raghavarao, Information & Publicity Co-ordinator A.S.K.V.S.Sharma and others were present. Scientists M.L. Bhavya, I. Sapna and Sandhya Shawale were felicitated for winning prizes in the National Science Writing competition AWSAR, while the other winners Dr. Nandini and Debika Ojha were not present.

