National mission on clean power planned

A national technology mission initiative on `Clean Carbon technologies', which will focus on clean power generation is in the offing, according to the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Union Government, Dr R. Chidambaram.Three expert groups are preparing reports for the directions to be taken in the mission. "The Integrated Combined Cycle Coal gasification technology, underground coal gasification and building of supercritical thermal plants are some of the challenges ahead of us," Dr Chidambaram told  today.Aprototype, a 125 Mw combined cycle coal gasification plant has been set up at Vijayawada under a consortia including BHEL and APTransco.

Similarly, a 800 Mw supercritical thermal power plant needs to be put in place. BHEL, NTPC, IGCAR and a host of other institutes should be involved, Dr Chidambaram added.

The former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) said in addition to the successful initiative taken by the PSAs office for the automotive sector, the rural technologies focus was also making a good impact.

Under the initiative, voluntary organisations in rural areas are involved with the leadership of a scientist to take up problems in areas that can be solved using technology.

So far five RUTAGs (Rural Technology Action Group) have been started at five IITs. Plans are to expand them in the near future. Earlier, delivering the Dr A.V. Rama Rao Technology Award Lecture on `Fuzzy borders at the frontiers of science and technology' at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Dr Chidambaram said "Leveraging international collaborations would be a sound approach for India to get the best advances in technology.""It is time that India got developed countries (which are in recession) to get addicted to collaborative research. We have already progressed in a collaborative effort with Germany's Fraunhoffer Institute in the automotive research area," he added.Similarly, in Canada there was interest in collaborating brain imaging for Alzheimer's with the National Brain Research Centre in New Delhi."Interestingly, we can now participate in research on equal strengths," the scientific adviser said.

Dr Chidambaram said the Rs 5,600 crore National Knowledge Network, which received cabinet approval in April, will interconnect all research institutes, higher education centres and scientific establishments in the country.