SHIMLA: Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur informed today the state government has framed and approved a new science, technology and innovation policy to bring about profound changes by building an ecosystem that promotes research and innovation on the part of both individuals and organizations with main focus of 'Atamnirbhar Bharat'.
The Chief Minister said that taking motivation from STI Policy-2020 of the government of India, Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology & Environment (HIMCOSTE) has framed this Science Technology & Innovation (STIP) Policy for the State on the lines of the National Policy.
He said that the draft document was finalized after having different round of brain storming discussions with the core group and heads/representatives of about 30 stakeholder departments, members of the working group, Vice Chancellors and the scientists from various academic and research institutions of the State. Thereafter, the draft document was approved by the State Cabinet.
Jai Ram Thakur said that while framing the policy, the important aspects like energy, environment, climate change and disasters, food and nutrition, water and sanitation, habitat, affordable health care, skill building and unemployment have been taken care for overall sustainable development of the mountain regions and the betterment of the society.
He said that the new policy aims at strengthening the research and development (R&D) institutions and innovation centres, identify priority R&D areas and provide platform for fostering scientific research, promote and develop appropriate ecosystem for innovation and supplement the national objectives of self-reliance, technological competence and the maximum use of indigenous resources for the socioeconomic development.
Principal Secretary, Environment Science Technology Kamlesh Kumar Pant informed that to finalise the state policy, a core group of renowned scientists was constituted from different fields like Plant Genetics & IPR, Agriculture, Horticulture, Engineering, Applied Biotechnology, Forestry, Biosciences & Biodiversity, Remote Sensing, Water, Wildlife, Mathematics, Meteorology, Climate Change and Physics etc. from different Universities and research institutions across the State.
He said that for the institutionalization of strategies, various action points have been adopted with the coordination of the line departments through a well-defined linkage and synergy with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)