Tawanai

Daily Times reports that Ministry of Science and Technology(S & T) is to complete surveys for windmill farm sites. The S&T Ministry received Rs 4.1 billion in budget. Here are the details.

To attract public private investment in the power-producing sector, the government has asked the Ministry of Science and Technology (S&T) to complete the survey report of 24 sites in Northern Areas for the establishment of windmill farms.

The Ministry of S&T has to complete the survey report during the fiscal year 2009-10 so that work on these sites could be initiated soon, the Annual Plan 2009-10 revealed. The government is determined to overcome electricity shortfall by December 2009 so that economic activities might get momentum to optimal level.

The plan further revealed that growing level of investment in research and development was generally correlated with improved gross domestic product (GDP). For the fiscal year 2009-10, the government has allocated Rs 4.1 billion in public sector development programme for S&T sector projects. Out of which, an amount of Rs 3.3 billion had been earmarked for the Ministry of S&T and Rs 0.8 billion for the S&T projects of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.

Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET): The council would provide indigenous technological support to the local industry to develop and promote renewable energy products of international quality. PCRET would start production of solar cells and modules up to 80kw annual capacity.

Read more after the break about the different research organizations and their spending plans.

Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR): Under HRD programme PCSIR had planned to sent abroad 15 scientists for PhD in different fields of S&T for scientific research and development (R&D) organisations. Infrastructure development through BMR of existing PCSIR laboratories would be undertaken, workshops and pilot plant facilities would be strengthened. Machinery and state of the art laboratory equipments for R&D activities shall be purchased and commissioned under different development projects. A nursery will be established for the cultivation of medicinal plants at Balochistan.

Council for Works and Housing Research (CWHR): It would be strengthened by upgrading its infrastructure, improving manpower strength and establishing laboratories so that demand oriented R&D could be undertaken to reduce imports of construction inputs in the country. CWHR intended to establish pilot plant for the production of activated clay from locally available bentonite.

Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC): The PNAC would establish a Centre for Accreditation and Standards Training (CAST). The centre would create awareness to the industry, industrial policymakers, academia, service providers, exporters, consumers etc about the benefit of adopting quality improvements practices by arranging seminars in-house as well as at the premises of different stakeholders in major cities of the country.

Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF): Science clubs would be established in 100 high schools all across the country. Five science centres would be established in different cities of the country to supplement the teaching of biological and physical sciences in schools and colleges.

Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR): During 2009-10 PCRWR would execute 14 R&D projects based on the construction of 11 water quality laboratories at different sites, impart training to 1,000 officials from water supply agencies through 40 training courses, install 40 high efficient irrigation systems and lift irrigation system in NWFP and Northern Areas.

Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST): The organisation would conduct National Innovation Survey for enhancing national productivity and national competitive performance.

Pakistan Technology Board (PTB): Centre for Biofuel Studies, Technology Facilitation Centre and Industrial Management Cell were envisaged. The Technology Foresight Exercise for the facilitation of the strategist and policy planner would be completed during 2009-10.

National Institute of Electronics (NIE): It would plan to get an accreditation for the testing lab from national/international bodies. Complete and customised solutions for small, medium scale organisations would be provided. Latest state of the art machinery and equipment would be inducted in NIE to give a boost to its R&D efforts.

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT): It would strengthen the Department of Biomedical Material Sciences at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore, which would result in formation of Ceramic Lab, Polymer Lab, Biological Lab, Characterisation Lab etc.

The Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB): The centre would perform R&D on transformation of plant expression vector containing RNA in two sugarcane varieties HSF-240 and HSF-242 and plant bioassay and molecular detection of transgenic plants. In DNA typing of selected genetically superior cattle and buffalo, PCR would be done for amplification of target genomic DNA regions of the milk proteins. Data analysis would be done to identify sequence changes in functional region of major milk protein genes.

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