January 03, 2002

    The five-day long 89^th session of the Indian Science Congress opened here today with a call by the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the scientific community to help fight national and global terrorism. Recalling the recent attacks on WTC tower in New York, the Indian Parliament, the J&K Assembly, etc. Shri Vajpayee said we know that terrorist networks have been trying to master advances in science and technology to pose new threats to the civilised society. The only way we can stop them is to build even more powerful collaborative networks among governments, agencies and others committed to defending peace and human values.

    He said if we want prosperity, we need science and technology. If we want peace and security, we again need science and technology. Hence science and technology has a greater role to play not only for our economic progress but also for safeguarding our freedom and ensuring security.

    Stating that science and technology is undoubtedly the critical input for India’s all-round development, the Prime Minister said that investment in research and development like the investment in education, is investment in India’s future. Government will do all possible to see that national R&D investments is raised to 2 per cent of GDP by the end of the 10^th Plan. He regretted that private sector investments in R&D companies continues to be dismal. Only the pharmaceutical industry has shown significant improvement. He hoped that the new national science and technology policy will take care of all short-comings and come out with a stronger and effective policy.

    Echoing the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister, the Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi said that Indian scientific community is ready to pledge its full support in the fight against this scourge of terrorism. Apart from this and other numerous issues, Dr. Joshi said the two factors which require immediate and greater attention from our scientists are nutrition and environment. Both these issues have been causing a lot of anxiety. He said, a list of S&T interventions which are required immediately will be compiled in a mission mode initiative to integrate the same. Interaction is already on with the industry and the academia in this regard.

    Describing science education and scientific research as the foundation-head of all technological growth, Dr. Joshi said that the declining interest of students to pursue a career in scientific research and science teaching will severely affect our economic competitiveness in a knowledge-driven society. The Ministry of Science and Technology is working on plans that will make new avenues of research a reality. Our universities are at the core of what we will have to use to tackle the adverse implications of globalisation. He expressed confidence that Indian scientific talent will concentrate on basic scientific research and propel the engine of economic growth. He also spoke of another important programme called ‘the fund for infrastructure in science and technology in universities and institutions of higher education’. The new science and technology policy will look into the weaknesses in the system and identify measures to strengthen the same, he said.