Growth story of India depends on its success in science, technology, says Prime Minister Modi
Bengaluru/Bangalore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning inaugurated the 107th Indian Science Congress at Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra Campus, University of Agricultural Sciences, in Bengaluru. “When we start the year 2020 with positivity and optimism of science and technology-driven development, then we take another step towards fulfilling our dream,” Modi said.
The five-day event will see the participation of Nobel laureates Stefan Hell from Max Planck Institut Germany and Ada E Yonath, an expert in structural biology from Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. Over 73 resource-persons from 16 countries will present papers under different topics. Among them are 37 Americans, 10 Japanese and 5 Chinese. The event will also showcase ongoing research and discoveries in about 14 disciplines.
Innovation ranking good
Addressing the delegates, Modi said, “I am happy to learn that India’s ranking has improved in the Innovation Index to 52. Our programmes have created more technology business incubators in the last five years than in the previous 50 years. I congratulate our scientists for these accomplishments.”
Heaping praises on Bengaluru, the PM said, “Bengaluru, the City of Gardens, is now a wonderful field for startups.”
“The world is coming to innovate here. Science and Technology is being used for governance in the country, like never before. Globally we aim to develop India into a 100 billion bio-manufacturing hub by 2024.”
Use electronic waste
He said that along with plastic waste, we also need new technology, new solutions to remove and reuse metal from electronic waste. “There is a need for revolution in technologies assisting agricultural practices. Can we find farmer-centric solutions to the problem of stalk burning for instance? Can we also redesign our brick kilns for reduced emissions and greater energy efficiency,” he asked.
Health is wealth
Continuing, the PM said, “Another important point I wish to make is the significance of “Make in India” in medical devices to bring the fruits of advances in diagnostics to our people. Mahatma Gandhi once said, it is health that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
“Our successes in space exploration should now be mirrored in the new frontier of the deep sea. Through “Make in India” in medical devices we should bring the fruits of advances in diagnostics to our people. We need to explore, map and responsibly harness the vast oceanic resources of water, energy, food and minerals. We know from science that the potential energy, the silent form of energy, can move mountains by its conversion to the kinetic energy of motion. Can we build a Science in Motion,” he added.
Praises Chandrayaan 2
Digital technology, e-commerce, internet banking and mobile banking services are assisting rural population significantly. Today, farmers are getting the required information about weather and forecast at their fingertips through many e-governance facilities, he revealed.
“The last time I had come to Bengaluru, the eyes of the nation was set on Chandrayaan 2. That time, the manner in which our nation celebrated science, our space programme and the strength of our scientists will always be part of my memory,” he added.
This post was published on January 3, 2020 6:45 pm