marketing Every year, as the winter sets in, Delhi and adjoining areas are covered by a blanket of thick smog. Among the many causes for the smog, the parali or the paddy stubble and straw burning in adjoining states' is a significant reason. Burning the parali agro-waste, though environmentally unfriendly, remains the easiest way for its disposal, at least until now.CSIR has been focussed on the waste-to-wealth mission. Under this mission, CSIR has been developing technologies and processes to dispose of the waste in an eco-friendly manner and ensure that this provides income and livelihood to the people involved.Focussing on parali, CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (CSIR-AMPRI), Bhopal has developed an internationally patented and novel technology for making evergreen hybrid ply and composite wood using parali and other industrial waste particulates and fibres as the raw material. Converting the agro-industrial waste into processed wood lowers the consumption of timber which in turn reduces deforestation.The technology that is ready for commercialization produces high quality and glossy finish composites that use 60% parali in a polymeric system. The innovative composite materials have various application potential for civil infrastructure as doors, false ceilings, architectural wall panels, partition and furniture etc.CSIR-AMPRI’s technology is a green solution to the parali-burning environmental problem and contributes to the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative as it creates employment and improves the livelihood of farmers. The technology has been licensed to M/s. Shubh Green Sheet Pvt Ltd, Bhilai, CG on 16 October 2020 and it is expected that many more industries would be set-up using this technology of CSIR.Prof. Avanish Kumar Srivastava, Dr. Asokan Pappu, Dr. SKS Rathore and Dr. Manoj K. Gupta CSIR-AMPRI Converting parali into hybrid particleboard