Jamshedpur: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) marked its 83rd Foundation Day today at the NML Auditorium.
The event featured esteemed guests including Dr. Shankar Venugopal, Vice President of Mahindra Research Valley, Chennai; Dr. Sandip Ghosh Chowdhury, Director of CSIR-NML; and Shri Aditya Mainak, Administrative Officer at CSIR-NML.
The celebration commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp, followed by a warm welcome from Dr. Sandip Ghosh Chowdhury to the dignitaries, retirees, scientists, and other attendees.
Dr. Shankar Venugopal delivered the Foundation Day lecture on “The New Materials Shaping the Future of Mobility.” He emphasized the importance of introducing cutting-edge technologies to Indian farmers and discussed the potential of deep-sea mining for critical materials like manganese, cobalt, nickel, and neodymium. Highlighting India’s 5.9 million tons of lithium reserves, he noted a dramatic 90% price drop in lithium-ion batteries over the past decade, underscoring the automotive industry’s rapid transformation through advancements in electric vehicle (EV) technology.
Addressing the challenges faced by India in sourcing essential metals for lithium-ion batteries, Dr. Venugopal called for technological developments in recycling these materials from end-of-life EV batteries.
As part of the Foundation Day festivities, NML organized essay and quiz competitions for employees. Dr. Venugopal presented awards for these competitions, along with accolades for meritorious students related to CSIR-NML. Employees who have served 25 years or more in CSIR and those who have retired between 30 September, 2023 and 31 August, 2024, were also honored.
Aditya Mainak concluded the program with a vote of thanks.
In a special initiative, meritorious student awards were announced, offering a one-time cash prize of Rs. 3,000 for students securing 90% or above in at least three science subjects in the Senior Secondary Examination (12th class) held in 2024.