The first general meeting of Fellows, held on the same day, elected Raman as president, and adopted the constitution of the Academy.

It aims to involve school and college students in obtaining first-hand information on the status of, and ongoing changes in, ecological habitats of a set of species of considerable human significance.

An objective of the project is to publish illustrated accounts of 1500 Indian species of micro-organisms, plants and animals.

A fourth, Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India is available in electronic format, freely downloadable from the project website.

Eminent scientists are invited by the Council of the Academy to occupy the Chair, for periods of between six weeks and six months.