CSIR enhancing India’s scientific ecosystem through green road tech, indigenous diagnostic kits
New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) worked to transform India’s scientific ecosystem by reinventing roads using green technology, protecting biodiversity, and boosting healthcare with indigenous diagnostic kits, according to a report.
In 2015, CSIR’s laboratories across the country played a significant role in developing innovations that strengthened infrastructure, improved healthcare outcomes, enhanced climate resilience, and reinforced India’s strategic autonomy, the Times of Oman reported.
“The year 2025 will be remembered as a defining chapter in India’s scientific journey — one in which research moved decisively from laboratories to the heart of national development,” the report said.
Under the CSIR, the green technology was scaled up for enhancing more than 200 kilometres of rural roads in Uttar Pradesh.
The technology reduced emissions and enabled faster and all-weather construction.
The world’s first port road, at Hazira in Gujarat, was built using steel slag technology, turning industrial waste into a durable and environmentally responsible asset by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).
Nearly 30 tonnes of end-of-life plastic technical textiles were integrated by the Institute into expressway construction.
In the agriculture sector, the world’s first genetically modified cotton fully resistant to pink bollworm — a pest responsible for heavy crop losses — was developed by the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI).
The CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) protected diversity by creating the world’s first DNA-based test to detect illegal shahtoosh in pashmina shawls. This strengthened efforts to protect the endangered Tibetan antelope.
The lab also established India’s first Zoo Bio Bank at Darjeeling Zoo, preserving genetic material of endangered species for future conservation and research.
CSIR labs also transformed healthcare through indigenous science.
The CSIR-CCMB developed a rapid, low-cost molecular test for sickle cell anaemia, enabling early diagnosis using just a single drop of dried blood, while the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) developed India’s first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease.
The CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology and partner laboratories advanced novel therapies for triple-negative breast cancer, along with smart anti-cancer agents and targeted nanoparticle drug delivery systems.
CSIR’s contributions also led to the building of climate-resilient homes and smarter waste systems. The labs also strengthened defence capabilities, drove innovation through industry and startups.
—
