The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology
and Environment (KSCSTE) was constituted in November 2002
as an autonomous body to encourage and promote Science and
Technology related activities in the Kerala State by restructuring
the erstwhile State Committee for Science, Technology and
Environment (STEC) established in 1972 in concurrence with
the Science Policy of Government of India.
The apex body of KSCSTE is the State Council with Chief Minister
of Kerala as the President. The chief executive officer of
the Council is Executive Vice President (EVP).
The Main functions of the State Council are to:
The decisions of the State
Council and Executive Committee are implemented by the Council
Headquarters (CHQ) based in Thiruvananthapuram. The functions
of CHQ are carried out under the overall guidance of Executive
Vice President who is also the ex-officio Principal Secretary
of Science &Technology Department (S&TD). The executive
functions are administered by the Member Secretary. The Science
and Technology programmes are managed by the Principal Scientific
Officers, Scientific Officers and other staff members, both
technical as well as administrative.
There are six R&D centres under the umbrella of the Council
which does research work in specific identified domains. The
Centre for
Earth Science Studies (CESS) is established to promote
modern scientific and technological research and development
studies in earth sciences. CESS pursues multidisciplinary
research in problems related to land, sea and atmosphere,
Research & Development activities in basic and applied
fields, user training and academic programs, consultancy and
Science popularization. The Centre
for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM)
was established by recognizing the need for catering to the
R&D needs in the field of water management. The Kerala
Forest Research Institute (KFRI) is established to undertake
research in areas like forestry, biodiversity etc., that are
vital to the development of the Kerala State. National
Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) is
undertaking research and consultancy works in the fields of
traffic engineering and transportation planning, highway engineering,
public transport system, inland water transport, tourism planning,
rural roads, environmental impact assessment and transport
energy. Rajiv
Gandhi Center for Biotechnology (RGCB) is established
exclusively for pursuing research in Biotechnology. The Center
has a Regional Facility for Genetic Fingerprinting, which
provides DNA analysis services for forensic & criminal
investigations, paternity disputes, identification of wildlife
remains, authentication of plants and seeds besides a battery
of molecular diagnostics for genetic and infectious diseases.
Tropical Botanic Garden and
Research Institute (TBGRI) is established with the vision
of Conservation and sustainable utilization of the plant biodiversity
of India, particularly of Kerala for the well being of her
people.
