Dr. Jitendra Singh assumed charge as Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Science &Technology.
Briefing the media after assuming charge, the Minister said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government has taken several noteworthy initiatives in the field of Science and Technology. Dr. Singh further added that he will strive hard to achieve the targets set by the Prime Minister so that the benefits of science and technology sector reach the common man and contribute effectively towards ease of living.
After assuming charge, the Minister also held a meeting with Secretary, DST, Shri Ashutosh Sharma; Secretary DBT, Smt. RenuSwarup;Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. M. Rajeevan;DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, Shri Shekhar Mande and other senior officers of the Ministry.
A presentation on Covid-19 mitigation initiatives was made by DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, Shri Shekhar Mande on the occasion. DG, CSIR informed that since the early days of the pandemic CSIR has worked with focused strategy to deliver various interventions and products towards mitigation of Covid-19 in the country which fall broadly into five verticals: Diagnostics; Surveillance; Drugs and Vaccines; Devices and PPEs and Supply Chain and Logistics. In the area of diagnostics, CSIR has developed a novel diagnostic called FELUDA. Dry Swab based direct RT-PCR diagnostic without RNA isolation has also been developed. CSIR is also involved in genomic surveillance as an active partner of INSACOG consortium. Besides, Sewage surveillance has been optimized by CSIR.Towards developing drugs for treatment of Covid-19, CSIR is carrying out clinical trials of repurposed drugs. On the devices front, CSIR has developed indigenous Medical Grade Oxygen Concentrator based on advanced PVSA technology. Non-invasive ventilation device, SwasthVayuand Modular UV disinfection along with ventilation guidelines have also been developed.To cater to the increased demand for hospitals, CSIR is working on building makeshift hospitals/expand facilities and to address the various supply chain challenges, CSIR has developed a one stop platform called Arogyapath for health care supplies which is currently hosted on the National Health portal.