Abhay Karandikar, the Director of IIT-Kanpur and a renowned telecommunications expert, has been appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). This appointment comes after a two-month interim arrangement in the department.
A Respected Technologist
Abhay Karandikar, aged 58, is highly respected in the scientific community and has a significant background in technology. He joins DST following a successful five-year tenure at IIT-Kanpur.
National-Level Opportunity
Karandikar expressed his gratitude to the government for appointing him to this national-level role. He is prepared to bring his best efforts and is expected to transition from IIT-Kanpur to New Delhi soon.
An Expert in Telecommunications
Karandikar, an electrical engineer from IIT-Kanpur, is well-known for his contributions to wired and wireless network technologies. He played a significant role in introducing 5G technology in India. His team developed an architecture for “frugal 5G” that connects rural India to the network efficiently.
He is also a consultant for the design and implementation of BharatNet, a government project aimed at providing broadband connectivity to rural India.
Improved connectivity enables services like internet banking and tele-consultations with expert doctors in remote areas.
Karandikar played a pivotal role in establishing the Telecommunication Standards Development Society (TSDSI) and served as its founding chairman. He has been a member of various telecommunications forums and task forces, including the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the 5G Spectrum Policy Task force.
Karandikar has also collaborated with the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), which is overseeing India’s National Supercomputing Mission. This mission aims to establish a network of over 70 supercomputers in Indian academic institutions. Karandikar holds more than 20 patents to his name.
IIT-Kanpur’s Legacy
Notably, Karandikar is the third scientist from IIT-Kanpur to be appointed as Secretary in DST recently. Ashutosh Sharma and Sandeep Verma, both from IIT-Kanpur, previously held this position.
