New Delhi : As a major breakthrough in shipping transport and inland waterway transport, Union Minister of Science & Technology and Vice President CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) Dr Jitendra Singh has hailed India’s first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel sea vessel.
Describing it as a success story emanating from the joint effort of public and private sectors, the Minister disclosed that the country’s first indigenous green hydrogen fuel cell inland waterway vessel, which may later pave the the way for hydrogen fuel driven larger sea vessels or ships, was developed by Cochin Shipyard Ltd featuring a hydrogen fuel cell-based drivetrain built by KPIT, drawing upon the foundational work enabled by the CSIR.
Dr. Jitendra Singh was convening a high-level meeting today to review the ongoing initiatives and achievements of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The meeting was attended by all Heads of CSIR Directorates, the Joint Secretary and Financial Adviser, CSIR.
Director General, CSIR, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi presented a detailed overview of CSIR’s current research activities, recent technological advancements, and collaborative engagements with industry. During the discussions, the Minister emphasized the importance of aligning CSIR’s scientific pursuits with the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for a Atma Nirbhar, especially in critical technology domains where indigenous development is key.
The Minister lauded the CSIR-New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI), calling it a unique example of collaborative innovation in the public-private space. As India’s largest publicly funded, industry-oriented R&D programme, NMITLI brings together top institutions, industrial partners, and research labs to pursue high-risk technological ventures with the potential for national impact.
Dr. Jitendra Singh particularly appreciated two recent breakthroughs supported under the NMITLI programme. The first is the development and commercialization of CSIR-TECHNOS Raman Spectrometers (CTR-300 and CTR-150), achieved through a partnership between CSIR–Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (CSIR–AMPRI), Bhopal, and M/s TechnoS Instruments, Jaipur.
These high-end Raman spectrometers, approved for marketing in January 2022, represent a significant milestone in India’s scientific instrumentation capabilities. Eleven units of indigenous Raman Spectrometers have been supplied across the country to date, demonstrating growing national adoption of this indigenous technology.
The second highlighted success, Dr Jitendra Singh noted, was the development of fuel cell technology under the Industry-Originated NMITLI programme. In this initiative, KPIT collaborated with CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) Pune and CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) to develop and demonstrate low-temperature PEM fuel cell systems. The expertise developed through this collaboration has since been translated into applications for the marine, defence, and automotive sectors. A major outcome of this effort was the launch of the country’s first indigenous green hydrogen fuel cell inland waterway vessel by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, under the Harit Nauka initiative. The vessel, developed by Cochin Shipyard Ltd., features a hydrogen fuel cell-based drivetrain built by KPIT, drawing upon the foundational work enabled by CSIR.
Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored that these achievements exemplify the role of CSIR in driving technology-led growth and contributing to India’s self-reliance in frontier areas.
The Minister called upon the CSIR authorities to continue strengthening the industry linkages, scale up innovations for societal impact and pursue bold R&D initiatives aligned with national priorities.