NMITLI EMERGES AS THE BIGGEST INDIAN KNOWLEDGE
NETWORK IN SHORT SPAN
DR. JOSHI ASKS INDUSTRY TO MAKE
FULL USE OF THE FISCAL MEASURES AND THE STRONG S&T BASE
The New
Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) has
emerged as the biggest Indian Knowledge network with private sector
participation, in a short span of two years since its launch.
14 core projects involving over 110 research and development institutions
/ academia and about 45 industry partners have been catalysed
under the network. The heavily invested projects are highly focussed
and cover a wide spectrum of technologies. This was disclosed
by the Minister for Human Resource Development and Science and
Technology, while addressing a national seminar on ‘India as a
Dominant Source of Global Technologies’, organised by the Associated
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), here today.
Dr. Joshi
pointed out that these technologies under the millennium initiative
ranges from replacement of petroleum-based hydrocarbons, nano-particle
based drug delivery systems (first in the world), formidable cost-effective
bioinformatics, fuel cell based power source, etc. Most of these
projects seek to usher in a completely new paradigm in technology
perspective, to enable India become a global technology giant.
Regretting
industry’s reluctance to enhance the R&D expenditure base,
Dr. Joshi also expressed concern over low level investment in
new plant and technology modernisation. This is despite the government
putting in place several fiscal and other measures to promote
modernisation of the industrial set up. As a result much of our
industrial production base today is not contemporary and thus
not globally competitive. The Minister also pointed out that mere
"continued technology import" will not make us globally competitive.
The West may have mark III technology but will negotiate for mark
II. When you go in for it you end up with getting mark-1 obsolete
technology. He urged the industry to come out of this and go in
for making optimal use of the powerful public infrastructure in
science and technology, where it will only be a win-win situation.
Suggesting
a new ‘Indo-Centric Technology Path’, Dr. Joshi urged the industry
to join hands in making the new millennium technology leadership
initiative a success, as it looks beyond today’s technology and
seeks to build, capture and retain for India, a leadership position
in the global arena based on technology, by synergising the best
competencies of publicly funded R&D institutions, academia
and the private industry. The government now invites proposals
from the industry for funding such projects hither to, not participated
by it.
