3 DST Technology mission centres launched at IIT-M

The Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched the DST-IITM Solar Energy Harnessing Centre, DST-IITM Centre for Sustainable Treatment, reuse and Management for Efficient, Affordable and Synergistic Solutions for Water, and the DST-IITM-KGDS test bed on Solar Thermal Desalinsation Solutions, set up in Ramanathapuram.

IIT director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said the centres were focussed on critical technologies for sustainability like harnessing of solar energy and scientific recycling and conservation of water.

The solar thermal desalination solution is being set up by IIT-M and Empereal KGDS in Ramanathapuram to deliver customised technological solutions to address water challenges in the arid coastal village.

Speaking at the event, Harsh Vardhan lauded the Indian scientific community and hailed the rapid strides made in the field of science and technology, including advanced early tsunami warning mechanisms. “Science has the potential to virtually solve every other problem,” he said.

Harsh Vardhan referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on areas like clean energy, including solar power and asserted that the country was on its way to achieve various targets in these areas. Later, to a question on a possible nation-wide plastic ban as being enforced in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, he said, the issue of reducing or eliminating plastic was a goal of United Nations.