January 07, 2002

    The five-day long 89^th session of the Indian Science Congress concluded here today with a resolve to take healthcare and education to the masses and optimise utilisation of information technology for the country’s progress. It also resolved to see how the scientific community could help the government in fighting the scourge of national and global terrorism. Biotech tool, especially gene therapy for mass killer diseases was discussed threadbare and received wide acceptance at the Congress for use in our endeavour to provide cost effective healthcare to the masses.

    Expressing deep concern over the decline in science education as a career, the Congress felt that ways and means have to be devised to address the issue including career assurance programme and other incentives. Though such a trend is a global phenomenon, the Congress also felt that this needs to be arrested in India for its development as only science and technology can take us towards all round economic progress. For such a large country like India with a billion population, the advances we have made so far are not just enough. Poverty, hunger, malnutrition and disease continue to affect millions of our population, who need to be provided with a minimum standard of living. The Congress urged the scientific community to help out in this regard.

    Dr. K. Kasturirangan, the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), who will be the next General President said that our space programme is poised for a phenomenal growth to play a pivotal role in India’s march towards a developed economy. Soon we will be launching our own INSAT satellite with our own launch vehicle taking telecommunication and other satellite-based facilities to new heights. Hence the 90^th session of the Indian Science Congress to be held in Bangalore next January will have as its broader theme ‘Frontiers of Science and Cutting Edge Technology’. There will be special sessions on space research, space technology, space applications in the emerging scenario. India having already developed all space technologies, both fabrication of satellites and launch vehicles, the Department of Space has embarked on a mission called ‘Astro-Sat’ by 2005. It will study the unique features of our solar system, galaxy structure, black hole and gama-radiation, etc.