Professor R. Chidambaram, principal scientific adviser to the Government of India gave the opening remarks of the plenary session on the Ministry of Science and Technology Perspectives at the 104th Indian Science Congress in Tirupati. He then, invited other speakers at the dais to discuss India’s stand in the innovation economy, present challenges, and future directions for shaping Indian science and technology.
The audience witnessed sessions from Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary DST, Professor M. N. Rajeevan, Secretary Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. V. K. Saraswat, NITI Aayog, Dr. Satheesh Reddy, scientific advisor to Raksha Mantri, who discussed the present statistics of the Indian science, the initiatives taken by the government to promote science and innovation, and the future planning and directions of the ministry of science and technology.
All the members agreed that Indian science faces some challenges that demand immediate attention and resolution. We need to empower scientists and ease the process of doing science. We also need to connect academia, research institutes and industry to pamper commercialization and bridge the gap between basic research and technology. “We need transformation in science and technology, and we are already in the path of transformation”, Dr. V.K. Saraswat said.
Many initiatives have been taken up by the ministry of science and technology to foster research. More budget allocation, new programs for promoting women scientists, generating new ideas and prototypes, funding postdoctoral fellows to prevent brain drain, aiming for greater flexibility in doing research are some of the measures that the Ministry has taken. Newer schemes are in the pipeline to address challenges of the R&D ecosystem. “It is not shameful to fail, but it is shameful to fail to try”, says Professor Ashutosh Sharma when he announces one of its kind policy called SERB that funds higher gain, higher risk research.
The representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology emphasized upon the need to pump up research in the sectors of waste management, clean energy, developing micro industry for rural sectors, and establish a global connect with researchers and institutes across the world. We also need to explore the oceans and harness the energy of ocean heat, currents, and winds for increased supply of cleaner energy.
India may soon venture to explore the Antarctic pole after acquiring an exploration ship that takes a team of Indian researchers far down south. This at present, however, needs more funds and interdisciplinary talent.
Dr. Satheesh Reddy emphasized that we must thrive to become a country that manufactures defense weapons and not import them. We could become a world-class hub for defense research and development, in both training and manufacturing. “We need to produce state of the art goods and sell them to global markets, and redefine roles of academia and industry”, he said.
We also need to devise systems to predict, manage, and mitigate damage due to natural disasters by setting up more observatories, and data collection and monitoring centers. “We must improve severe and accurate monitoring systems in the next 3-4 years”, said Professor Rajeevan.
The representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly agreed that India must enhance its R&D potential in agriculture, medicine, education, computing, ocean and earth sciences, energy, transport, and defense sectors for national development.
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