Leh: A team of Scientists of CSIR led by Director, Dr. D. Srinivasa Reddy, called on Lt. Governor, Sh. R.K.Mathur here today, they apprised him about the science & technological initiatives, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) envisages, to bring the Ladakh UT on a global platform. This includes framing Science, Technology and Innovation Policy for UT, setting up of CSIR-Centre of Excellence for High Altitude Natural Sciences, establishment of experimental and demonstration farms of different medicinal, aromatic and nutraceutical plants/ crops and endemic microbial & plant biodiversity of Ladakh etc.
Through a detailed PowerPoint presentation, the LG was informed that CSIR, a premier R&D organisation under the dynamic leadership of its Director General, Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, based upon the expertise, core competencies & domain of different constituent organisations of CSIR, has, in first phase involved its six Institutes viz. CSIR-IIIM, CSIR-IHBT, CSIR-NBRI, CSIR-NGRI, CSIR-CMERI and CSIR-CLRI to provide extensive knowledge and technological support to Ladakh UT Govt. in the areas of industrial agriculture with a focus on commercialization of endemic & other high value medicinal, aromatic and nutraceutical plants, crops, bioprospection of endemic microbial and plants diversity, geophysical mapping, eco-friendly leather processing and microbiological & biotechnological intervention to bring benefits to people. CSIR-IIIM, Jammu has been designated as a nodal institution for this endeavour of CSIR. It was also informed during the deliberations that CSIR-IIIM and M/S Sun Pharma shall jointly augment the COVID-19 testing in Ladakh by providing the technical trained manpower, equipments like RT-PCR machines and bio-safety cabinets. For this the modalities have already been worked out during their meeting with Commissioner Secretary Health, Director and other senior officials of Ladakh UT Health Department.
The team of Scientist from CSIR, Er. Abdul Rahim, Dr. Zabeer and Dr Shahid Rasool, headed by Dr. D.Srinivasa Reddy was on a three-day visit to Ladakh to explore the possibilities for implementation of various S&T, societal and economic development programmes to be launched by CSIR in Ladakh. During past three days, the team visited the Centre of Excellence for Sea Buckthorn, Nimoo, Agriculture farm, Palam-Leh, Trans-Himalayan medicinal plants farm of NISR, Leh. They also held deliberations with the officials of Agriculture Deptt., NISR and Director, DRDO-DIHAR.
The team of CSIR Scientists also held two rounds of meetings with Sh. Rigzin Samphel, Commissioner Secretary, Agriculture, Health & Horticulture, UT Ladakh, who supervised their field visits and scientific deliberations conducted during past three days.
