About

About Website

Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division has been set up under the Department of Science and Technology, established with the broad objectives of providing opportunities to motivated scientists and field level workers to take up action oriented and location specific projects aiming towards socio-economic upliftment of poor and disadvantaged sections of the society through appropriate technological interventions especially in the rural areas. Under this program efforts have been made to associate concerned National Labs or other specialist S&T institutions with each major program so as to build-in expert input, utilize national S&T infrastructure and link it up with grassroots S&T interventions/initiatives.

This website is effort to promote technologies developed core supported organisation of SEED Division of DST, Govt of India.

Core Support Programme

Under the Core Support Programme, selected voluntary organizations with adequate scientific and technical expertise have been identified and provided long-term core support with a view of nurturing them into Centres of Excellence for Rural Development. Under this unique programme, these voluntary groups are able to strengthen and retain scientific manpower for long duration to work at the grassroots level on location specific problems and provide innovative solutions through S&T interventions related to different sectors of rural economy.
During the last couple of years, through a selection mechanisms involving On -The- Spot Assessement field visits by experts, number of S&T based core groups are selected and established in different parts of the country to work on activities connected with generation, demonstration and application of sustainable rural technologies on an integrated and continual basis. They are also playing important role in collection and dissemination of information on R&D activities; networking and linkages with nearby S & T institutions /Universities to provide need based technical back up support. Such groups have a core staff of a few scientists and technologists, aided by social scientists and researchers from academic and other institutions who would be able to attach themselves to this core group for short or long period of time depending upon the nature of activities with which they are associated. These groups have shown adequate potential in developing promising technologies and replicable technology models/packages with forward and backward linkages to benefit and empower local people in participatory manner.

Objectives & Mandate

  • To support S & T based NGOs/S & T institutions/Colleges/Universities throughout the country to take up innovative grant in aid projects at the grassroots level with various schemes targeted for different section of the society to address location and occupation specific problems.
  • Catalyze and support research, development and adaptation of relevant and appropriate technologies for empowering and improving quality of life of Artisans, Landless labour, Women, SC/ST and other disadvantaged sections, particularly in rural areas.
  • Preserve and upgrade skills of traditional artisans as “natural carriers” of S&T knowledge/ capabilities and enable their transition to S&T – based production organizations.
  • Need-based, location specific and appropriate S&T intervention for economically viable, ecologically sustainable and socially acceptable development
  • “Bottom-up” rather than top-down programme planning with full community involvement.
  • Evolve and demonstrate replicable models of S&T – based development for benefit of disadvantaged sections; and
  • Catalyze linkages with Developmental Agencies/ Departments and Financial Institutions so as to promote integration of these models with wider developmental processes.