Speaking to newsmen after the concluding session of the three-day conference of CSIR Directors held at Hyderabad, Mr Joshi said: "We want the Indian companies to take up the research activity in association with research institutions."

Although the Indian corporates such as Dabar, Zandu and DRL among other companies have shown their abilities in these areas, it would be wise for them to associate with research institutions, he stressed. This will reduce the basic research cost, he expressed.

The conference has proposed to have continuous interaction between the industry, research and the HRD ministry to provide unified mix of policy and its implementation, Mr Joshi said.

The directors' conference reviewed various programs undertaken by CSIR in the past two years and their impact on the society.

The proposed 14-seater SARAS multi-purpose civilian aircraft is expected to be ready by September or October 2001, Mr Joshi said. The Rs 131-crore project was delayed by about six to eight month for want of international approvals. The aircraft is expected to receive air-worthiness certificate soon, he added.

"In fact we are receiving enquiries from domestic and international air liners," Mr Joshi said. The three-member consortium of NAL, HAL and Tanuja AuroSpace is developing the two prototypes both used for cargo, passenger and survey needs.

The minister said that the research labs engaged in the basic research in collaboration with private entrepreneurs also have to be transparent in the utilisation of funds. The CSIR has decided to evolve a system for the financial management, which will be vetted by the C&AG, he insisted.