Dr. Jitendra Singh Introduces The CSIR Prima ET11, The First Domestically Produced E-Tractor Created By The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur

Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy, and Space, today highlighted the importance of Agri StartUps to India’s economy and called for the adoption of new, AI-driven technologies in agriculture by launching the CSIR Prima ET11, the country’s first indigenous e-Tractor developed by the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur.
According to the Minister, more and more startups are entering the agriculture industry, focusing on specialized technologies like e-Tractor, recycling trash, drip irrigation, and genome-sequenced farming such as Mango and Lotus.
Dr. Jitendra Singh remarked, “This is one sector in which India has rather not picked up the pace that was required. This is a vast untapped resource, which is uniquely available to India. Those nations that had been supporting IT had done so from their perspective because they had their assets; they lacked our country’s agricultural resources. Therefore, we need not copy them. Why not employ my abundant agricultural resources if I have them? As a result, this route will play a crucial role in India’s economy during the next 25 years.
Showcasing, Stakeholders, Startups, Synergizing, and Strategizing Industry Linkage are the five S’s that Dr. Jitendra Singh recommended for the effectiveness of R&D carried out in Government-run research facilities.
We won’t be able to get the best results, he added, unless we can engage all five of these components.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, who called for an integrated strategy, favored close communication with all parties, including the relevant Ministries, and expanded connections between the CSIR labs and the industry. The S&T Minister suggested setting up a distinct cell to promote investment.
“You have to have the involvement of Industry right from Day One to sustain yourself,” he remarked. He continued, “We have a sector of the economy that is ready to invest, but they don’t know where or how to invest.”
According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, the government headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has opened up Ease of Doing Business in the Agriculture sector during the past nine years, creating new avenues for livelihood.
He added, “PM Modi has not only given us the freedom to perform to our full potential and aptitude, but he has also raised the esteem of science and the scientists. We have a very enabling atmosphere and an enabling leadership, which is quite patronizing.”
According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, PM Modi has emphasized that as India strives to become a developed nation, the agriculture sector will play a crucial part in the Amrit Kaal.
“In the next 25 years, there is an emphasis on Livelihood opportunities outside of Government jobs, and this Agri sector is going to be not only an important part of the economy, but it’s going to be also an important part of vocation for the youth,” he stated.
Dr. Jitendra Singh gave a book by CSIR-CIMAP and a compendium of 75 CSIR-developed innovations its official debuts at the event. The CMERI-developed recycling trucks and equipment piqued the Minister’s curiosity.
From September 11 to 15, 2023, the CSIR-CMERI will celebrate the theme-based campaign “One Week One Lab” to highlight to various stakeholders the laboratory’s cutting-edge research, products, technologies, expertise, and facilities.