The CSIR Jigyasa program is a major initiative taken up by CSIR at the national level during its platinum jubilee year celebrations. It is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a new India and Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) of scientific community and institutions.
The core objective of Jigyasa is to connect school students and scientists to extend students’ classroom learning with well-planned research laboratory-based learning. The initiative intends to promote scientific temper among students through the student–scientist connect programs.
As part of its JIGYASA activities, the CSIR-CFTRI conducted a rural outreach program with the theme “CSIR-CFTRI on Wheels” to showcase and disseminate knowledge on food related processes and technologies to school students and teachers.
As part of the program, scientists, technical staff and research students visited Keelanapura Government High School, and demonstrated different steps in food processing (tomato processing from making to packing) live to the students and teachers, on a Mobile Food-Processing Unit, developed by the premier institute, recently.
While flagging-off the mobile processing unit, Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, director, CSIR- CFTRI emphasised the institute’s commitment to disseminating knowledge and raising awareness on food processing and food science and technology to cater to the needs of the public through its various out-reach programs, including Jigyasa.
She said students are the nation’s future and empowering them with scientific information through initiatives like Jigyasa can help in building a strong nation. The director also said that the mobile-food processing unit developed by the institute will be travelling to other places to demonstrate technologies of CFTRI to farmers/SHGs and FPOs, and encourage them to value-add their produce and become agripreneurs.
The scientific staff of CFTRI interacted with the students and highlighted the role of scientific and technological interventions that can contribute to value-addition and prevent post-harvest losses of agricultural produce.
In addition, to emphasise the role of food safety and quality, simple experiments to detect food adulteration in commonly consumed products such as milk, tea powder, sweets and savouries, pulses and spices, etc., were also demonstrated, a note said here.
Nearly 222 students and 15 teachers from higher primary and high school participated in the program. The event also had active participation from the village head and other members of Keelanapura, who appreciated the initiative of CFTRI and reiterated the need for more such activities for the benefit of students, especially those from the rural background.
This program was facilitated by Agastya Foundation, an NGO for empowering education. The day-long activity ended with distribution of protein-dense spirulina chikki, fresh-press juice and other refreshments to the students and teachers.
Under the Jigyasa initiative, CSIR-CFTRI has so far conducted over 35 programs in the year 2022-23, benefitting more than 5,000 students and 300 teachers.
