Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Science and technology
In News:
A technology, titled Scitech Airon, has been developed by an incubatee company of Scitech Park, Pune.
It offers an effective solution for India’s fight against COVID-19.
Key takeaways:
The technology reduces the viral load of infected areas within a room significantly within an hour.
It has been developed under the NIDHI PRAYAS program initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
It helps to control the virus, bacteria, and fungal infections in a closed environment.
It would help in ensuring wellbeing of the staff, doctors, and nurses working in the quarantine facilities by enhancing their disease resistance power and ability to fight the virus.
DST has released Rs 1 crore to manufacture and scale up the product.
The technology has been scientifically tested by various globally renowned labs in different types of closed environments.
Important value additions:
NIDHI PRAYAS program
National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) is an umbrella programme conceived and developed by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful start-ups.
Under this initiative, DST has launched NIDHI- Promotingand Accelerating Youngand ASpiringinnovators & startups (NIDHI-PRAYAS) program.
The program caters to idea-stage entrepreneurs with a physical product offering.
It would also facilitate the innovators with the Physical infrastructure, Technical Guidance, Business Mentorship etc.
