The country has attained a high degree of self reliance in cutting-edge technologies that it can interact with other agencies at an equal level. Speaking to AIR on the sidelines of the Indian Science Congress near Chennai, Director, Directorate of Public Interface, Ravi Kumar Gupta said that they need to strengthen the base in terms of components and materials. He said that India has achieved an extremely high order of self reliance in technology for life support systems. He said that DRDO has developed technology using anaerobic bacteria from very cold areas to break down human waste in a safe and hygienic manner. He also said that kits for detecting H1N1 virus are awaiting clearance from ICMR before being released to the market.