ANS: CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory celebrated its 73rd foundation day on the 26th of November, 2022. The main function started with the lamp-lighting ceremony by the dignitaries on the dais. NML song was also played on the auspicious occasion. Since 26th November, also observed as National Constitution Day, the programme was convinced with Pledge administering ceremony to all present in the auditorium.
On the occasion, CSIR-NML signed seven MoUs with Industry and Academic institutions to carry out collaborative research in futuristic R&D areas and solve current & future industrial R&D problems.
MoUs for academic collaboration were signed with IIT Patna and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad for enhancing joint student mentoring and undertaking joint R&D projects of mutual interest. This collaboration aims to organize joint seminars/conferences/ workshops as well as to provide better exposure and access to available state-of-the-art equipment to the students to pursue their higher studies. This would also fulfill the Skill India objectives of the government of India. Industry partners including – R. Sarangapani, Chief General Manager, NTPC, New Delhi; Dr. Amit Chatterjee, Chief R&D Officer, Vedanta Pvt Ltd; Sarbendu Sanyal, Chief Technolgy Officer, JAMIPOL (Jamshedpur), and Lallit Vashista, CEO & Founder, Diva Envitec, Mumbai also signed MoUs with CSIR-NML to collaborate in various fields of mutual interest, to find novel solutions to the industrial problems and to develop technologies.
CSIR-NML joined hands with NTPC to enable studies related to the residual life assessment of important parts of the boiler and turbines in power plants. Vedanta Pvt. Ltd and CSIR-NML have agreed to work together for the development and scaling up of laboratory-level technologies to the industrial level. These collaborations will ensure that research on sustainable technologies is also focused. The successful collaboration of CSIR-NML with academic and industrial partners is the need of the hour and will play a major role in the development of the nation. Director NML lauded the collaborations as pathways to synergies of energy and expertise of all collaborators to act as catalysts in residing the aim & objective of each of us..
Dr. A K Srivastava, Director CSIR-NML delivered the welcome address and talked about the contributions of CSIR-NML in the S&T development of the country, since its foundation year 1950. Dr. Arvind Sinha, Advisor Management introduced the chief guest to the audience.
Professor T N Singh, Director, IIT Patna graced the occasion as the chief guest. Prof. Singh shared his insightful thoughts on the ongoing innovations and opportunities that are available on critical metals, manufacturing industries and e-waste. A sector, that is central to NML’s sphere of operation and therefore of immense importance to us. Prof. Singh has suggested brainstorming to develop greener and cleaner products and services, also a huge need for breeding eco-system through collaborations that support innovations which include educational sectors and MSMEs. He emphasised the compelling need to do this faster.
Several awards were customarily presented by the Director, NML to the staff for their outstanding contribution in Technical and Non-Technical areas as well as to the meritorious staff children for their various achievements in the year 2021.
The awards included the V.A. Altekar award for the best technology licensed or commercialized, B.R. Nijhawan Award for the best paper published, the Prof. S.P. Mehrotra award for the best colloquium speaker, and Prof. Shilowbhadra Banerjee award for the best in-house project completed during the year 2021, Prof. P. Ramachandra Rao award for the best employee in Technical/ Non-Technical Category during the year 2021 and several meritorious awards to NML staff children in various categories.
Towards the end of the function, a memento was presented by Director-NML to the chief guest & all collaborators. A vote of thanks was proposed by Aditya Mainak, Administrative Officer, CSIR-NML. The program concluded with the National Anthem.