Jitendra Singh says Centre to set up science museums across country; CSIR, NCSM sign MoU

The Centre will be establishing science museums across the country to promote a scientific mindset among children and youth, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday. 

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) in presence of Singh and G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER). According to Singh, the MoU is a step in the right way and will shape the future in science communication and dissemination.

The MoU, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology, aims to establish science museums at select CSIR laboratories in order to stimulate scientific curiosity and awareness among the general public. Speaking at the event, Singh praised the CSIR's new initiative to set up virtual labs for school kids in collaboration with IIT-Bombay.

The minister also applauded CSIR and NCSM's decision to establish a museum within NPL to highlight CSIR's technologies and initiatives created over the past eight decades. Singh emphasised that museums should not be static, but rather dynamic and engaging, emerging as crucibles of innovation and said that "we must tap into students' and youth's interest and excitement.|

CSIR partners with KVs, Navodaya Vidyalayas & NITI Aayog's Atal Tinkering Labs 

CSIR has partnered with Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and NITI Aayog's Atal Tinkering Labs, Union minister Singh informed and said that it must reach out to distant communities and schools.

G Kishan Reddy said, "Globally, it is recognised that science centres play an important role in supplementing the science education in the country and creating a culture of science and technology and developing scientific temper amongst masses and youth in particular".

Reddy emphasised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of students moving forward with "21st-century skills," which he referred to as the "5Cs of the 21st Century." The five Cs include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, curiosity, and communication. 

A look at CSIR & NCSM

The CSIR was founded by the Indian government in 1942 as an autonomous entity. It has now become India's largest research and development organisation. Despite the fact that it is primarily supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, it works independently under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.

NCSM is a self-governing body within the Indian Ministry of Culture. It is one of the largest networks of science centres or museums operating under a single administrative umbrella. The NCSM was established under the Ministry of Culture to coordinate all informal scientific communication initiatives in the museum sector across the country.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)