Prof. (Dr.) Rakesh Kumar Sinha

Ph. D. in Cermic Engineering in 1993

(with Year):

30 Years

Advance Materials

• Science Day Lecture at Dr. RML Awadh University, Faizabad (2012);
• Invited Lecture at Aryabhatt Knowledge University, Patna (2013)
• Chief Guest Address, Programme on Entrepreneurs Meet of Madhya Pradesh Council of S&T (2014)
• Convocation Address at 29th Graduation Day of Tamil Nadu College of Engineering, Coimbatore as Chief Guest (2016)
• Invited Talk on ‘Innovation and CSIR’, Barkatullah University, Bhopal (2017)
• Science Day Lecture at CSIR-AMPRI, Bhopal (2020)
• Lecture on Intellectual Property rights, CCS University, Meerut (2021)

1. K R Mangalam University

As Dean Research I am Chairman of Institutional Academic Integrity Panel, Seed Grant Review Committee and University Research Ethics Committee. Involved in persuading Faculties of diverse disciplines such as Basic and Applied Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Pharmacy, Architecture, & Design, Agriculture Sciences, Law, Management, Journalism & Mass Communication for undertaking research projects. Also helping them in formulation, execution, monitoring and completion of Projects.

As Vice Chancellor (Officiating) for one month oversaw various activities; significant ones include: Filing of NAAC, Convocation (Hon’ble Governor of Haryana was Chief Guest).

2. Head, Human Resource Development Centre of CSIR

Human Resource Development is a management philosophy, and it could extend to any resource- be it employees, financial, group, and individual skills, work practices etc. The underlying theme is to help impart dynamism and vitality to learning institutions, which, in themselves, help to tap the initiative and creativity of the employees through clarity of goals, result-orientation, and team spirit. These activities, however, cannot be carried out as stand-alone or in isolation.

Human Resource is the core of any organization which drives its growth trajectory. A talented, motivated, and happy workforce has the capabilities to turn around any organization by 360 degrees. Although CSIR, since its inception, focuses on recruiting the best minds of diverse fields of S&T for its various laboratories, of late, it has been felt that the entire process has gone into too much bureaucracy resulting in a delay in recruitment, not having the best minds, high attrition rate, stagnancy at a particular level and setting in of low morale.

CSIR recognizes the importance of Human Resources and firmly believes, and these are its assets. CSIR  is a premier R&D institute working on cutting edge S&T domain. It gives significance to its S&T workforce, i.e., human resource in S&T. Human Resources in Science and Technology (HRST) is defined according to the Canberra Manual as persons having graduated at the tertiary level of education or employed in a science and technology occupation for which a high qualification is typically required, and the innovation potential is high.

Successful organizations always look for a change in their strategy, dynamics, and philosophy relevant to the country and the Society.

Successfully headed CSIR-Human Resource Development Centre, Ghaziabad during July, 2019 and November, 2023. Centre is a Unit of CSIR Hqs. which was established in 2002 with mission, To promote professional and holistic human resource development for professionalizing R&D management and support functions in CSIR. Prime objective of the Centre was Training & Development activities, including Induction/On-boarding, Management Development, Leadership Development of all cadres of CSIR.

Re-oriented the Centre through exercising full administrative and financial power. Introduced new concepts in organizing these programmes. Recently joined hands with Capacity Building Commission under Mission Karmayogi to leverage the Centre’s activities and strive to convert it into a sole Training Institute of Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India.

Some of the significant actions taken were:

1. Induction/Onboarding for Newly Joined Directors of CSIR Labs

Centre has been organizing Induction programmes for all cadres of CSIR but very rarely for Directors. I formalized the Induction for Directors who has joined CSIR recently. I felt that Directors also need formal training on how to run the organization as Leader. However Directors have already proven their leadership quality, hence the programme has been coined as ‘Excellence in Leadership’. It is being conducted whenever more than 5 new Directors are in position.

1. Induction/Onboarding for Scientists and Technical Officers

Usually Scientists and Technical Officers join Government system like CSIR directly from University/College and are devoid of Nation’s aspirations, Objectives, Mission and Vision of the organization, their roles and responsibilities, alignment of their expertise with organization’s mandate. This 10-days programme has been designed to expose newly recruited Scientists and Technical Officers to inculcate ethos and values of the organization, exposure to various Government rules & regulations, team building, project formulation etc.

1. Lectures

Delivered lectures, regularly, for the benefit of the participants of various programmes on:

• Ethos & Values, Mission and Vison of CSIR;
• Intellectual Property Rights;
• Project Formulation and Management; and
• Ethics in Research & Governance

1. Services through Central Public Procurement Portal and GeM (As Head of Office, considered and accorded approval for):

• Contract for catering and Guest House (11 Rooms in Guest House and 40 rooms in Training Hostel)- Rs. 40 lakh;
• Contract for Horticulture for upkeeping campus of ~70 acres- Rs. 30 lakh;
• Contract for Housekeeping of Office premise- Rs. 20 lakh;
• Contract for Security- Rs. 110 lakh;
• Contract for Outsourced Manpower- Rs. 60 lakh;
• Contract for repair of Boundary wall- Rs. 45 lakh;
• Contract for renovation of Guest House- Rs. 55 lakh;
• AMC for Electrical upkeep- Rs. 30 lakh

1. Procurement (Accords approvals as Head of Office)

Various items (Audio Visual System for Lecture Halls, Air conditioners, Desktop computers, Laptops, furniture for Lecture Halls, both through GeM and Local Purchase Committees)

1. Legal Matters (Matter being dealt through panel of advocates)

• Dispute with Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam for payment of service charge (Allahabad High Court)
• Industrial Labour Court for non-payment of salary by the Contractor. The applicant made representation in Industrial Labour Court that he was not paid salary of one month by the Contractor, period after termination of the contract with HRDC. Analyzed the response on each hearing, and submitted after vetting by Legal Section of CSIR Hqs to the Court through Administration and Advocate hired for the purpose. Our defence is that the complaint was not employee of CSIR-HRDC rather of the Contractor. CSIR-HRDC reimbursed all the payments made by the Contractor to its employees who were working in CSIR-HRDC, hence CSIR-HRDC can not be party.

1. Disposal of Government Property

• Non-movable: CSIR-HRDC has 36 flats in Ghaziabad city which are lying unused since 2001. As Chairman of the Committee, constituted by Director General, CSIR, monitoring the process of disposal of flats. It will be disposed only after approval of Cabinet; and
• Movable: a minibus disposed on-line through M/s Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited, following all Government norms.

1. Sanctioning Power of all types of leaves
2. Public Grievances– Analyze each of the response, prepared by the concerned sections of CSIR-HRDC to Public Grievance, lodged on CPGRAMS, before approving for submitting to the portal.
3. RTI– Analyze each of the response prepared by the concerned sections of CSIR-HRDC to RTI filed, before approving.
4. Third Party Audit under RTI Act 2005

Central Information Commission has recognized my Centre, after my taking over as Head, as a Third Party to conduct ‘Audit of Public Authorities for Proactive Disclosure under RTI Act’. We have been carrying out this Audit (Annual exercise) for more than 50 Public Authorities for the last four years.

3. S&T Management
4. R&D Management: 16 Years in CSIR Hqs. Dealt with:

• Director General Technical Cell (DGTC)

2008-2010: the then Director General, created DGTC and handpicked three scientists for the cell including undersigned. In a tenure of two years handled all the technical requirements including presentations to Planning Commission, CSIR Society (Chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister), Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, preparing lectures for various fora, coordination of monthly his monthly meeting with Hon’ble Minister of Science & Technology, institution of AcSIR etc.

• Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology

The Committee considers annual budget of CSIR and gives recommendations to the Parliament. It has multiple steps like submission Background Note, Detailed Note (covering previous year achievements and targets for coming year), Action Taken Note (ATN) on the recommendations of the Committee, Statement by Hon`ble Minister of S&T on status of implementation on  ATN etc.

Handled the activity for 12 years.

• Replies to Parliament Questions

Since 2003 prepared replies to more than 300 Parliament Questions, both Starred and Un-starred.

• Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) of India

Handled many draft observations of C&AG. Significant one was Performance Audit of X Five Year Plan Projects which was tabled in the Parliament. It took enormous effort and time (seven years) to get the Para dropped in the Parliament.

• Formulation, Execution and Monitoring of Projects

Was instrumental in formulation (through assisting CSIR laboratories in the area of Engineering Sciences and Physical Sciences), appraisal through Standing Finance Committee, Expenditure Finance Committee,  approval (by Secretary, DSIR or Hon’ble Minister of S&T), its execution (timely release of funds), monitoring through duly constituted Monitoring Committees, submission of Completion report to the Competent Authority.

• CSIR Outcome Budget

Every Ministry/Department has to prepare its Outcome Budget for submission of Ministry of Finance. Prepared the same for 12 years which consisted of utilization of funds received from Government of India in the previous year, its outcome of the activities undertaken and targets for the next year.

• Coordination of various Committees for review of CSIR

From time to time Government set up various committees to review CSIR. Coordinated the Sub-committees on Engineering Sciences and Physical Sciences, and prepared the report for submission to the Competent Authority.

• Research Council of various CSIR Laboratories/institutes as CSIR Hqs representative
• CSIR’s Missions on ‘Safety and Security of Vital Installations’, and ‘Drone based Electromagnetic and magnetic Systems

In a top down approach concepts of Mission Projects were initiated. Projects were formulated on ideas/needs germinated from Hqs. Was nodal for two mission Projects which were solely driven by undersigned involving six CSIR laboratories (CSIR-CBRI, CSIR-CEERI,  CSIR-CSIO,  CSIR-NGRI, CSIR-NAL, and CSIR-SERC).

• Fast Track Translational (FTT) Projects of Engineering Sciences and Physical Sciences Cluster

New concept of FTT was mooted from CSIR Hqs in which proposals were invited only on those topics for which CSIR laboratory already reported success to 80% or more of the desired objective and there is Industry to take up the technology. Considered more than 100 such project proposals and converted into projects which were funded after following due process.

• Fast Track Commercialization (FTC) Projects

It was yet another new concept which covered only those proposals which Industry was ready to take the technology but stuck with respect to its commercialization. CSIR funded such projects and it drew significant success.

1. Members of Administrative/Technical Committees (During 2003-2023 in CSIR)

• Member of Representation Committee to consider the representations/petitions regarding retention in services beyond 50 years of age under FR 56(J) of the Officers of CSIR Laboratories/Institutes in pre-revised pay scales of Rs. 16000-20000 (PB-4 37000-67000 with Grade Pay 8900) and below upto the scale of Rs. 8000-13500 (PB-3 Grade Pay 5400).

Directors of CSIR Laboratories are empowered to take action under this rule following the set procedures. However, the effected person can represent to Director General, CSIR and Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research for review. DG,CSIR refers the cases to the Representation Committee (Two member Committee- one is Director of CSIR Laboratory and other is myself). Handled 5 such cases and submitted report to DG,CSIR for further necessary action.

• Member, Collegium of CSIR Hqs to award gradings (Annual Appraisal) to Scientists of CSIR Hqs
• Member of Selection Committee for the recruitment of Technical Officers of CSIR Hqs. There are 34 posts in the area of Computer/IT, Civil, Electrical, Electronics & Communication, Mechanical, and Chemistry, advertised and currently under process of recruitment.
• Member of Knowledge Advisory Committee for CSIR Hqs.
• Member of Official Language Implementation Committee of CSIR Hqs
• Member of Screening Committee for recruitment of Scientists in CSIR-National Physical Laboratory;
• Member of Internal Screening Committee for Assessment of Scientists of CSIR-NPL and CSIR-NIScPR.
• Member of various Technical Committees pertaining to Science Dissemination activities of CSIR, particularly print and electronic media, Exhibitions etc;

Am instrumental in bringing out numerous Jingles and  short movies on various achievements (since its inception in 1942) of CSIR laboratories. Jingles were played for many months on All India Radio. As a member of the Technical Committee assisted not only in empanelment of various agencies but also in finalization of Designs of Pavilion, selection of contents in it and managing CSIR`s exhibition on various occasions, such as Indian Science Congress, India International Science Festival, Defence Expo, etc.

• Secretary, CSIR–Sports Promotion Board (CSIR-SPB)
• Member of Governing Council of Delhi Productivity Council
• Member-Convener, ‘NextGen Human Resource Committee’ ‘
• Member Convener of ‘Review of Autonomous Bodies’
• Member, DSIR team
• Member of ‘Committee for Cadre Re-structuring ofDRDO’ ;
• Member of CSIR Committee for revisiting the Technical Qualification for Recruitment of Technical Officers;
• Member of Engineering Apex Committee (EAC) of CSIR
• Member, Fact Finding Committee for `Investigation of Loss of Equipments including two Scintillation Counters` of a CSIR Laboratory
• Member of Technical Committee and Steering Committee of Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.

Presently serving as an Inquiry Authority for Major Penalty Case of CSIR Scientist under Rule 14 of CCS (Conduct Rules).