New science, technology policy approved: CM

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 17

The state government has framed and approved a new science, technology and innovation policy. It aims at bringing about profound changes by building an ecosystem that promotes research and innovation on the part of both individuals and organisations with the main focus on Atmanirbhar Bharat, said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here today.

He said that taking motivation from the STI Policy-2020 of the Union Government, the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE) has framed the Science Technology and Innovation (STIP) policy on the lines of the national policy.

Thakur said that the draft document was finalised after having brainstorming discussions with the core group and heads/representatives of about 30 stakeholder departments, members of the working group, Vice-Chancellors and scientists of various academic and research institutions of the state. Thereafter, the Cabinet approved the draft document.

He said that while framing the policy, important aspects such as energy, environment, climate change and disasters, food and nutrition, water and sanitation, habitat, affordable health care, skill building and unemployment had been taken care for the overall sustainable development of the mountain regions and the betterment of society.

He added that the new policy aims at strengthening research and development (R&D) institutions and innovation centres, identifying priority R&D areas and providing a platform for fostering scientific research, promoting and developing an appropriate ecosystem for innovation and supplement the national objectives of self-reliance, technological competence and the maximum use of indigenous resources for socioeconomic development.

Kamlesh Kumar Pant, Principal Secretary, Environment Science Technology, said that to finalise the state policy, a core group of renowned scientists was constituted from different fields such as Plant Genetics and IPR, Agriculture, Horticulture, Engineering, Applied Biotechnology, Forestry, Biosciences and Biodiversity, Remote Sensing, Water, Wildlife, Mathematics, Meteorology, Climate Change and Physics etc. from different universities and research institutions in the state.