CSIR National Physical Laboratory (NPL) organized a one-day Brainstorming Meeting on “Enhancing global competence in quality by providing SI traceable measurements through Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravyas (BNDs) [Certified Indian Reference Materials]” in CSIR-NPL, New Delhi on 9^th August 2024.

The event was inaugurated by Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary of DPIIT (Govt. of India), Vaidya. Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary (AYUSH), Ms. Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary DSIR & DG, CSIR, Dr. Parveen Malik, CEO (Agrinnovate, India. Ltd), Dr. Venugopal Achanta, Director, CSIR-NPL and Dr. S. P. Singh, Head, BND Division, CSIR-NPL.

Addressing the ceremony, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary of DPIIT (Govt. of India) complimented the efforts of CSIR NPL on this great initiative. He emphasized the requirement for all stakeholders to join hands to make the dream of the Hon. Prime Minister of India for “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” a reality.

Dr. Venugopal Achanta, Director, CSIR-NPL highlighted the significance of BNDs and the progress made so far by the efforts of CSIR-NPL in the opening remarks.

DG, CSIR, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi informed the house about strengthening the CSIR labs in the endeavor and appealed to the directors and scientists to work together to establish the mechanism for fulfilling the requirement of BNDs and making them not only acceptable but also competing in the global market. In his address, the secretary, AYUSH, emphasized the need for reference material in the domain of herbal drugs and AYUSH products.

Dr. Praveen Malik highlighted the need for standard reference material in the domain of agriculture, drugs & vaccines and proposed an elaborate roadmap for establishing the BNDs globally.

The directors of different CSIR laboratories like CSIR-NPL, CSIR-AMPRI, CSIR-IHBT, CSIR-CBRI, CSIR-CEERI, CSIR-IIP, as well as the Director Generals and Director representatives of CFSL, NDTL, FSSAI, IPFT, IPC, CWC, JJM, BIS, NTH, accreditation bodies, industry representatives and other scientific institutions attended the meeting.

 The major focus of the discussion was on the development and SI traceability of Indigenous-certified materials, i.e., BNDs, for use by various segments of Indian industries towards better quality control of locally produced products. They deliberated on the current challenges and opportunities in the development and utilization of such Indian-made CRMs/BNDs in India. Success stories of BNDs in water and cement were detailed to explain the benefits to the users. Issues and conflicts associated with related accreditation and proper regulatory audits of different testing laboratories and the possible way forward were also discussed.

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KSY/PSM

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