On January 3, 2017, Appa Rao Podile, Vice Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad was conferred with ‘Millennium Plaques of Honour’ by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, at the annual meeting of Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Prof. Appa Rao received the award in the presence of the Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh E.S.L. Narasimhan and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu, among other dignitaries. He was presented with the award for his contribution in the field of biotechnology
ISCA honoured several other scientists who have contributed to the development of science and technology in the country. Appa Rao’s work mainly deals with plant sciences. Along with his team, he invented an approach to synthesise biological molecules that can help induce immunity in plants, in a natural way. They use the polymer chitin, to protect agricultural plants from several diseases without using harmful chemicals.
Appa Rao is delighted to have received the award. “I think every award that one receives gives satisfaction, but more importantly, it gives you an additional sense of responsibility,” he says.
Talking about the state of science and technology in the country, he continues, “India has been doing really well for two decades. The difference between developed nations and India, in terms of science and technology, is definitely reducing.”
On using bio molecules to improve plant health, he explains, “We use biotechnology processes. Farmers have many ways to protect plants. But how good are they? Many of these methods use toxic chemicals that can damage human beings, fungi and other organisms in the environment. Our process is non-toxic and kills only the pathogens. It induces immunity in plants in a non-chemical way.”
Appa Rao is currently also working on other such projects. “We are working on the use of microbiome in plants to improve their health. We are very interested in the project. We have tied up with 6-7 other institutes in India,” he elaborates.
Appa Rao is part of the three national science academies in the country. As a word of advice to the young generation, he says, “There are a lot of things to discover and understand. Always look for new information and find an application for what you have discovered. Your discovery could improve the standard of living of everyone. There’s a lot of scope. Keep finding answers to the things that you don’t understand with new tools and technology.”
