The Technology Development Board was constituted in September 1996. The Board provides financial assistance to industrial concerns and other agencies for attempting development and commercial application of indigenous technology or adapting imported technology for wider domestic application. During the year 1998-99, the Board has signed 11 agreements with a total project cost of Rs 99.85 crore including Board's loan assistance of Rs 40.51 crore. The total number of agreements signed by the Board has aggregated to 31 with total project cost of Rs 243.69 crore including assistance of Rs 91.97 crore from the Board. The areas that got financial assistance from the Board were health and medicine, engineering and electronics, chemicals and lubricants, agriculture and biotechnology, power cable, transport, energy and waste utilistation, and telecommunication. The technology providers include national laboratories, academic institutions and recognised in-house R&D units in the industry. The enterprises supported are from private and public sector companies, private

limited companies and first generation entrepreneurs, etc. Some of the products successfully produced and marketed include first genetically engineered hepatitis B vaccine; bio-fertiliser from maize waist, gluten with the brand name Suryamin; DL2 Amino Butanol, an important substitute drug intermediate in the manufacture of anti-tuberculosis drug; Cefixime - an orally active fourth generation Cephalosporin anti-biotic; and recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.

National Accreditation Board For Testing And Calibration Laboratories

          National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has been registered as a society on 12 August 1998 under Societies Registration Act. NABL continued its activity of according accreditation to testing and calibration laboratories after thorough assessment by the experts. Till date, 150 testing laboratories and 67 calibration laboratories have been accredited by the Board and assessment work has been completed for 145 testing laboratories and 75 calibration laboratories. The Board has been publishing a quarterly newsletter NABL NEWS.

Natural Resources Data Management Systems

          The Natural Resources Data Management programme is being implemented to upgrade the existing data management methodologies at the district level to facilitate decision making process with regard to local area management and development. Launched in 1982-83, the programme involves several R&D institutes of national repute, universities and non-governmental agencies in a consortium mode. As a part of this programme, spatial and non-spatial databases are being generated and updated at the state and district GIS centres. Different modules of Geo-Referenced Area Management (GRAM) software package are being developed to assist the information processing needs of the district and sub-district level planning. The programme also envisages to develop and demonstrate the use of GIS technology through specific decision support systems for the identified sectors as per Eighth Plan priorities, viz., water conservation, land use planning, energy management and infrastructure development. Several R&D projects in the areas of land and water management, study of landslides and hydrology of small watersheds were also supported.