‘COVID-19 will not be over but. Now we have to be future prepared’ : Principal Scientific Adviser

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, a Distinguished Professor of Physics on the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, who took over because the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Authorities of India, says essential missions are on the roll now simply because the nation has overcome three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with The Hindu, he speaks concerning the want for being ‘future prepared’ with regard to the pandemic, why India’s mobility points shouldn’t rely upon imported expertise, and what the biodiversity mission will entail.

Excerpts from the interview

Are you able to inform us concerning the Bio-science for Human Well being Mission within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic?

It couldn’t have come at a greater time. All of us have been sensisitised to it. Two years of the Covid-19 pandemic have taught us huge classes and everyone seems to be conscious of the necessity for this mission. A DPR has been ready and circulated for skilled feedback and inter-ministerial session. A draft be aware has been ready for the nationwide coverage. There are genetics and human science initiatives by CSIR and DBT, which has been doing huge quantity of labor, such because the Distinctive Strategies of Administration and remedy of inherited problems and Genome India Mission. All this must be built-in to ensure there is a synergy between numerous stakeholders. 

COVID-19 will not be over but. Now we have to be future prepared. Now we have to see what’s the future vaccination plan, and what our animal pandemic preparedness is. Many issues come from the animal world…. They’re inter-connected. We should take into consideration pandemic preparedness and see combine the one well being system. I hope the PSA workplace will give you a plan to work on this concept as a result of it cuts throughout the complete nation.

What’s the standing of the Nationwide Biodiversity Mission?

These are essential missions, which had been mentioned in PM STIAC conferences virtually three years in the past. Then COVID-19 occurred, and issues didn’t transfer as quick as they need to have. Now, the Division of Expenditure has accepted the mission in precept, however has additionally requested the Ministry of Surroundings, Forest and Local weather Change to make some revisions so there are not any overlaps with the work of different ministries. Now, the ministry is engaged on the DPR earlier than the cash is launched. Very quickly, we hope that the revised doc can be submitted to the Division of Expenditure. Then, we’ll in all probability be on our option to launch the mission.  

Now we have particular issues for nationwide biodiversity — lack of intact forests, which is an enormous concern; local weather change and the pandemic, which trigger stress on the pure eco system, which causes a risk to species, India’s pure eco system administration, which comes beneath the management of States, and so forth. The trans-disciplinary efforts must be expedited with lots of planning. India has such a wealthy biodiversity, so conservation is vital. The price is fairly excessive from the financial standpoint. Pure companies related to biodiversity have enormous financial implications. By some estimates, it’s as much as ₹128 trillion per 12 months. 

What are the vital points with electrical autos (EVs)?

For EVs, there are a lot of points, corresponding to batteries. Is lithium battery all the things? Then we’ve got to cope with the problem of supplies. The place is a lot lithium, cobalt that nations want? Numerous R&D work must be executed, however we can’t look ahead to that to occur after which launch EVs. They should go in parallel. Battery is one side. Many individuals are transferring in the direction of hydrogen based mostly techniques. Now we have initiated some effort.

The Division of Science and Expertise will lead R&D. We want long-term options, and lithium and battery usually are not.

Speedy motion can be wanted on charging. Although it appears easy, we don’t have standardisation. Standardisation and improvements should go hand in hand, and the PSA has led lots of work already on this. Requirements for low energy charging stations have been checked out, as two and three wheelers are large markets in India. This has come via the Bureau of Indian Requirements, which had notified requirements in 2021. For the excessive energy automated connector charging — 4 wheelers, buses, and so forth, the draft is being ready. 

Numerous work for futuristic batteries must be executed, and they need to be made in India. Mobility points can’t be based mostly on imported expertise. 

What’s the mandate of the AGNIi mission?

It is a partnership between PSA and Make investments India. We must always goal Indian rising expertise capabilities and nationwide aims in numerous areas. We should allow applied sciences and startups to serve these aims. Nationwide priorities will generate alternatives. It is a enormous manner ahead. Now we have three particular mandates proper now:  AGNIi  will execute exemplar initiatives, deeper expertise partnerships with particular person ministries such because the waste-to-wealth challenge, and extra domains corresponding to AI, robotics. The hope is that within the subsequent 12 months or two, it’ll make important impression on the nationwide goal entrance. 

How will we stability fundamental science and transactional science?

In our anxiousness to solely translate, we must always not lose observe of basic science. If we solely discuss transactional expertise, it’s important to ask, from the place will it come 5 years down the road? In case you carry on relying on different international locations to generate basic science, why will they not commercialise it? We have to generate basic good concepts. All basic science won’t result in expertise tomorrow.

India has to have three pillars — science, expertise and answer. However science can’t be by-product science. Science can be a platform to ignite younger minds. If science will not be thrilling and never making the creativeness move, brilliant minds received’t come to science. That may occur if basic science is equally thrilling. It’s all interconnected.

Expertise additionally results in good science. Now experimental science is so expertise pushed. We must always not lose observe of fundamental science and pitch it excessive when it comes to discovery. With out discovery, you can’t do innovation in the long term.