The Second All India People’s Technology Congress is scheduled to be held in Calcutta during 12 - 14 February under auspices of Forum of Scientists, Engineers and Technologists (FOSET) and Department of Science & Technology and NES, GoWB. Panchayet level officials under Panchayet and Rural Development Department will sit across the table with leading Research Institution of the Country, during the Congress to discuss about local-specific problems and to prepare area-wise blue-print for transfer of appropriate technology. Subsequent details about implementation will be taken care of by Technology Resource Centre. Such an unique attempt on Technology planning involving Technology Developers, users and facilitatory has been named as ‘TRIBENI’ (Confluence of three streams)

Sri Gopinath Chatterjee, Nilanjan Sengupta and Gautam Roy on behalf of FOSET has informed that this will be a Conglomeration of representatives of all relevant Congress. The expected participant list would include :among the educational institutions, - Jaipur Agri University, Benaras Hindu University, Bidhan Chandra Kirhsi University, IITs of Kharagpur, Chennai, Delhi, Viswa Bharati University, Kalyani University, Indian School of Mines, Universities of Kalyani, Jadavpur, B.E. College : among the leading research institutes - CLRI, CGCRI, CMERI, RRL, NML, IARI, NBPGR, ERL - Chennai, Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute, ZSI, NISTADS, CBRI and many others and also old leading NGOs of the Country working in the field of Science and Technology. Such a Congress may be constructed as first bold and realistic attempt to formulate and standardise modalities for transfer of technology.

This has aroused lot of enthusiasm among the Panchayets. The neuclears of decentralised developments - the Zilla Parishads are constrained with infrastructural inadequacy though in West Bengal, more than half of the Governmental budget is expended through them. On the other hand, the innovative technologies developed at various research centres are remaining confined within the laboratories without being transferred to the land. Such isolated events, if could be integrated together, can by and large win over the major obstacle for development. FOSET is playing the role of effective catalyst in such integration process.

The proposed Technology Resource Centre (TRC) would be instrumental in this process of integration and would tackle the various problems of implementation. The Congress, after Tribeni Conference, will also deal with the operational aspects of such proposed TRCs.

The First Technology Congress was held in Calcutta during 1997 at the very initiative of FOSET. More than 140 relevant research papers were presented in this Congress with participation of 400 delegates from about 14 states of the Country. Many of the recommendations of this Congress are already either as application or on trial. Such application has to be intensified. This Congress will aim at such application - articulation converting all impulses of the First Congress into realisation. The Congress this time, will be divided in six sub themes on - Agriculture and Biotechnology, Non-Conventional Energy, Environment, Artisanal Technology, Information Technology, Habitat and Shelter.

The eminent technologists, through State of Art Lectures on different sub-themes will make the delegate aware on the advancements and indigenous capability. Such eminent speakers would include M. N. Dastur, P. Ramachandra Rao, Manju Sharma, V. Suresh, Shankar Sen, K. C. Lahiri. Besides them, various sessions will also be addressed by Dinesh Abrol, D. Raghunandan, Nilotpal Bose, Hardayal Singh, Shyamal Sanyal, Vinade Raina, H. S. Roy, S.P. Gonchowdhury, U. Trivedi, Subimal Sen and alike eminent personalities. The Valedictory Session is to be addressed by Minister of Panchayet and Rural Development, West Bengal - Dr. S. K. Misra. Scientists, technologists, researchers and People’s Science Workers of the Country will exchange their experience during the technical session in the Congress. Six parallel sessions in different venue within the Convention Complex will storm the brains daily for nine hours.

The extract of research papers will be compiled to be sent to Ministry of Science and Technology with definite realistic and implementable recommendations.