Varanasi: Minister of Science and Technology (Independent Charge) Jitendra Singh visited the Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institute at BHU on Sunday and commended its role in supporting high-end research and growing contribution to Atmanirbhar Bharat.The institute is a flagship national initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).Accompanied by BHU vice-chancellor Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Singh began his visit by planting a mango sapling under “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative. The Minister later toured SATHI’s advanced laboratories and inspected several state-of-the-art instruments, including HRMS, NMR, ICPMS, High-Resolution Confocal Microscopy, and the Live Imaging System.Singh interacted with university researchers, start-up innovators, and technical experts, emphasising the institute’s potential as a hub for fostering indigenous innovation. He also suggested mobilising CSR partnerships to strengthen infrastructural and training initiatives.Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi expressed gratitude to the ministry of science and technology for selecting BHU as one of the five institutions in the country to implement the SATHI programme. He mentioned that while the university is working to make SATHI self-sustainable, it would be beneficial if the Department of Science and Technology (DST) could support our efforts by providing annual funding, given the advanced nature of these facilities. Deputy coordinator of SATHI-BHU, Prof Birinchi Kumar Sarma, emphasised that since its inception, SATHI-BHU has trained over 900 skilled professionals, processed approximately 30,000 samples, facilitated 15+ patents, and published over 100 high-impact publications. Additionally, the institute has signed 10 MoUs with industries and leading academic institutions, and it has supported more than 1,000 users from academia, MSMEs, and start-ups nationwide.
