Manthan

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India (GoI) has announced the launch of the Manthan platform.

Details –

• It aims to promote collaboration at scale between industry and the scientific research and development ecosystem to help meet India’s sustainability goals in alignment with the UN defined Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) charter.
• Powered by NSEIT (National Stock Exchange of India Limited), this platform will empower to scale up the interactions among stakeholders, facilitate research and innovation, and share challenges in various emerging technologies and scientific interventions, including those that make a Social Impact.

Significance –

• Led by the Office of PSA, Manthan can potentially change the landscape of science and technology-based social impact innovation and solutions in India.
• The platform will facilitate knowledge transfers and interactions through Information Exchange Sessions, Exhibitions, and Events to develop a framework for future science, innovation, and technology-led growth.

About the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India –

• The Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) is the chief advisor to the government on matters related to scientific policy.
• It is currently a Secretary level position created in 1999 by the AB Vajpayee government. At the time, the position was a Cabinet rank position, with the first PSA being APJ Abdul Kalam.
• This was followed by Rajagopala Chidambaram who held the rank of a Minister of State and was the PSA for 16 years.
• The current PSA is Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood.
• The ‘Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser’, through the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) helps scientific cross-sectoral synergy across ministries, institutions and the industry.