INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF
PRIME MINISTER AT THE 8TH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE
THIRD WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (TWAS)
Following is the
text of the inaugural address of the Prime Minister Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee at the 8th General Conference of The
Third World Academy Of Sciences (TWAS), here today:
"I am pleased to
be with you at this 8th General Conference of the Third
World Academy of Sciences. We are delighted to host your conference
in India. I must, however, confess that what has enhanced our
joy is the fact that one of our country’s distinguished scientists,
Prof. C.N.R. Rao, is currently the president of your prestigious
organization.
For many years your
Academy has symbolized the aspirations of the scientists of the
Third World. It has provided an important forum for discussions
on issues of science and technology, in the larger context of
development, in the Third World. I learn that it has many ongoing
activities related to exchange of knowledge and experience, capacity
building, and South-South Cooperation.
I applaud these programmes
and hope that the New Delhi conference will help you in broadening
their scope and strengthening their impact in the years to come.
Friends, you will
agree that the term "Third World" is being used less and less
these days in political and economic debate. Not that it has lost
all its relevance. No. But several factors have contributed to
a significant change in the world scenario in the past decade
or so.
For example, it is
impossible to locate the so-called Second World on the world map
anymore. Also, some countries that were earlier categorized as
members of the Third World defy that description now. Several
others are on a fast track of development.
On the other hand,
in the absence of balanced development, some sections of the populations
of the countries in the First World are slipping into relative
poverty.
One thing, however,
is beyond any doubt. Wherever countries have either shed their
"Third World" tag, or are in the process of doing so, they have
been greatly helped in this developmental journey by science and
technology. Today many developing countries in Asia and elsewhere
have earned worldwide reputation as being creators and exporters,
and not mere importers, of new scientific discoveries and technological
innovations.
There is yet another
factor that has blurred the earlier sharp distinction between
the First, Second and Third parts of the world. It is the integrative
force of the information and communication revolution, a revolution
to which India is a major contributor. This revolution, along
with the other developments that I just mentioned, has also considerably
expanded the scope of interaction and cooperation among scientists
in today’s inter-dependent world.
This is a wholly
welcome change, one that augurs well for the future of humanity.
At the same time,
we cannot be blind to the reality that vast parts of the world,
and large sections of the global population, continue to be deprived
of even elementary fruits of development. Science and technology
are yet to make an impact on the quality of life of hundreds of
millions of people in developing and underdeveloped countries.
This developmental
divide between and within nations is a matter of concern for all
the right-thinking people in the world. How to reduce and ultimately
remove this divide is one of the biggest and most pressing challenges
of the 21st century.
The world needs bold
and benign political and economic responses from developed countries
to meet this challenge. And this is what India and other developing
countries have been consistently advocating in the United Nations
and from WTO and other multilateral forums.
Nevertheless, I am
convinced that, in addition to political and economic initiatives,
we need greater and appropriate inputs of science, technology
and education to meet the challenge of bridging the developmental
divide. The problems of poverty, ill-health and unemployment;
lack of drinking water, sanitation and shelter; food and energy
security; and environmental degradation in developing countries
cannot, generally, be tackled by means employed in the developed
world. These require low-cost solutions, with an optimal use of
local natural, human and cultural resources.
Harnessing of the
rich traditional knowledge of the communities has to be an important
component of the strategy to mitigate these problems. In doing
so, scientists will also find answers to some of the problems
being faced by developed countries. For example, the holistic
traditions of healthcare in India and other developing countries,
and medicines produced from their rich bio-diversity, have evoked
increasing interest all over the world.
Hence, the task before
scientists and policy makers today continues to be what it was
yesterday: namely, how to activate the right inputs of science
and technology, both modern and traditional, to help solve the
pressing problems of underdevelopment. It is obvious that success
in this task calls for enhanced cooperation among scientists of
the developing countries. This is especially so, since developed
countries cannot be expected to pay a lot of attention to R&D
to solve problems that are peculiar to us.
The Third World Academy
of Sciences, therefore, is an important catalyst for such cooperation.
Distinguished scientists,
promotion of science and technology has been a cornerstone of
India’s strategy for all-round socio-economic development since
our independence. We are proud of the vast S&T infrastructure
that we have created over the past five decades. My Government
is committed to further increasing its support to India’s talented
community of scientists and technologists. We have always shared
our expertise and experience with other developing countries in
a spirit of solidarity. We shall continue to do so.
With these words,
I send my best wishes for the success of your conference.
Thank you."
