New Delhi, Delhi, India | 28th February 2020: National Science Day is celebrated on February 28th each year in India to mark the discovery of “Raman effect” by the physicist Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman.
In India, JICA has been supporting Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) Project to promote joint research for both Japan and India. Its aims to obtain innovative solutions to the benefit of the society with a view to resolving global issues such as the environment and energy, biological resources, disaster prevention, and infectious diseases. In conjunction with this, it also aspires to improve the development of human resources and research capabilities in recipient countries by conducting joint research.
There are 4 SATREPS projects supported by JICA in India: Information Network for Natural Disaster Mitigation and Recovery (DISANET), the research contributes to disaster preparedness by becoming the core of an information network that can respond immediately in time of disaster. UASB-DHS Integrated System – A Sustainable Sewage Treatment Technology, the sewage treatment plant is based in Agra to treat water of Yamuna River with revolutionary minimal-energy sewage treatment process. Research Partnership for the Application of Low Carbon Technology for Sustainable Development, the project conducted studies to select technologies that have high energy-saving effect and are highly applicable to India and Smart Cities Development in emerging countries for Multimodal Transport System based on Sensing, Network and Big Data Analysis of Regional Transportation (M2Smart), which is currently being carried out in Hyderabad.
Speaking on the occasion of International Science Week, Mr. Katsuo Matsumoto, Chief Representative, JICA India Office, said, “We share Japanese expertize with India, across projects, across sectors in different states to ensure the India is abreast with technical advancements. It is because of Japanese expertise and enhanced scientific knowledge that JICA has been able to introduce quality solutions for sustainable development in India for various sectors including Health, Sanitation, Energy, Agriculture, etc. by disbursing ODA loans, Grant Aids, providing technical cooperation and public-private partnership for these sectors.”
JICA has been engaging in various initiatives with IIT-Hyderabad (IIT-H). The collaboration includes a Support Program for Joint Research under FRIENDSHIP and The Project for future researchers at IIT-H to enhance network development with scholarship of Japan. The joint research project of M2Smart between IIT-H and Japanese academia and industries is planned to last until March 2022. The aim of this joint research project is to establish a reliable and common approach for grasping the traffic situation in cities by building a system that effectively utilizes mobile devices, traffic sensing, big-data analysis and network technology. The team has launched the field test bed system in IIT-H campus and NH-65. This field test bed system comprises of several key components of traffic management system such as real time traffic flow monitoring cameras, speed detection safety system, traffic signal lights and remote environment gas sensing.
Furthermore, JICA has been committed to strengthening of partnership with private sector since 2012 and offered Proposal-Based funding programs which Japanese Small Medium Enterprises (SMSs) can operate Market Research, Feasibility Study, and Pilot Project through test operation of their unique and advanced technologies in collaboration with partner organizations in India. Taisei Kougyou Co., Ltd., a Japanese manufacturing company, is addressing Swachh Bharat Mission by introducing decentralized sewage treatment facilities having advantages in little to no discharge and electricity use, high treatment capacity, and low cost and easy maintenance that being demonstrated in Varanasi and Muzaffarnagar for school toilet. This resourcefulness would be brought by the soil infiltration processing material “Tafgard” made of special polyester fibers.
While in the field of energy, ITSEV, Inc., a Japanese company, has developed unique Lithium-ion battery that restrains deterioration under high temperature climate so it can sufficiently exhibit utility even in high temperature and high humidity climate like that in India.
The underlying intent of all of JICA’s projects in India is to enable growth, driven by innovation and upgradation in technology.
