The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi delivered inaugural address at the National Metrology Conclave 2021. He dedicated National Atomic Timescale and Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya Pranali to the Nation and laid the Foundation Stone of National Environmental Standards Laboratory today through a video conference. The Conclave was organised by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, on its 75th year of inception. The theme of the conclave is ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’. Union Minister Dr harsh Vardhan and Principal Scientific Advisor Dr Vijay Raghwan were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister lauded the Indian scientists for successfully developing two Indian COVID vaccines in this new year. He said India’s Covid vaccination Program is the largest in the world and is about to be started. He lauded the scientific institutions in the country including CSIR for coming together to find solutions for every challenge faced by the country.

The Prime Minister urged CSIR to interact with school students to raise awareness about the efforts of the institute. He said this would inspire and motivate them to become scientists in future. He praised CSIR NPL for having played an important role in the evolution and evaluation in the development of the country. He said the Conclave today would help to discuss the achievements of the past and help in preparing the institute to address future challenges. He urged the institute to come forward and play an important role in keeping with the new standards and new benchmarks to proceed towards forging a self-reliant India.

The Prime Minister remarked that as India’s timekeeper CSIR-NPL also has the responsibility to change the future of India. He said over the decades, India was dependent on foreign standards for quality and measurement. But now India’s pace, progress, rise, image, and strength of India will be decided by our own standards. He said metrology which is science of measuring also sets the foundation for any scientific achievement. No research can proceed without measurement and measurement. Even our achievement has to be measured on some scale. He said the credibility of the country in the world will be dependent on the reliability of its metrology. He said metrology is like a mirror showing us our standing in the world, the scope for improvement. He gave a call to remind that the goal to achieve a self reliant India consists of quantity as well as quality. He urged to win the hearts of every customer who purchases Indian products, instead of just filling the world with Indian products. He stressed to ensure that Made in India products not only meet global demand but also get global acceptance.

The Prime Minister said Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya dedicated to the nation today, would help the industry to make quality products in sectors like Heavy metals, Pesticides, Pharma and Textiles by drafting a 'Certified Reference Material System'. He added now the industry is moving towards Consumer Oriented Approach instead of Regulation Centric Approach. He said with these new standards, there is a campaign to bring global identity to local products in districts across the country, which will be of particular benefit to our MSMEs sector.

The Prime Minister said complying with the International standards will help the large foreign manufacturing companies coming to India to find a local supply chain. He said with the new standards the quality of both Export and Import would be ensured. It will also provide quality goods to the general consumer of India and reduce the problems faced by the exporter.

The Prime Minister pointed out, historically, any country has progressed in direct correlation to its effort to promote science. He termed this ‘value creation cycle’ of Science, Technology and Industry. Explaining further, the Prime Minister said that a scientific invention creates a technology and technology leads to industry development. Industry, in turn, invests further in science for new research. This cycle keeps on taking us in the direction of new possibilities. CSIR-NPL has played a major role in taking forward this value cycle, the Prime Minister added.

This value creation cycle of science to mass creation has become all the more important in today’s world when the country is moving forward with the goal of Aatmnirbhar India. CSIR will have to play its role in this.

The Prime Minister expressed happiness over CSIR-NPL National Atomic Timescale which he dedicated to humanity today. He said that India has become self-reliant in measuring the time within the range of a nano second. Achieving the accuracy level of 2.8 Nano Second is a huge capability in itself. Now Indian Standard Time is matching the International Standard Time  with the accuracy range of less than 3 nano second. This will be a big help for organization like ISRO who are working with cutting edge technology. Modern technology related Banking, railways, defense, health, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and many similar sectors will be benefited greatly from this achievement.

The Prime Minister also dwelled on the role of the timescale in strengthening India’s role in  Industry 4.0. India is moving towards a leading position in the field of environment. Still, for technology and tools for measuring air quality and emission, India is dependent on others.  This achievement will lead to self-reliance in the field and will lead to creation of more effective and cheaper tools for pollution control. This will also enhance India’s share in the global market for technologies related to air quality and emission technology. We have achieved this by the continuous efforts of our scientists, Shri Modi added.

The Prime Minister discussed the role of research in various knowledge sectors at length. He said that in any progressive society, research is not only a natural habit but also a natural process. He said research’s impact can be commercial or social and research also helps in expanding our knowledge and understanding. It is not always possible to anticipate the future directions and uses of research apart from its decided final goal. Only thing that is certain is that the research leads to a new chapter of knowledge and that it never goes waste. The Prime Minister enumerated examples of the Father of Genetics, Mendel and Nikolas Tesla, potential of whose work was recognized much later. Many times, research might not fulfil its immediate goal but the same research can become path-breaking in some other sector. The Prime Minister illustrated this point by the example of Jagdish Chandra Bose whose microwave theory could not be taken forward commercially but today, the entire radio communication system is based on that. He also gave examples of research conducted during the World Wars that have revolutionized various sectors later. For example, drones were created for war, today they are doing photoshoots and making deliveries. That is why our scientists, especially the young scientists should explore the possibilities of the cross fertilization of research. Possibility of use of their research outside their field should always be in front of them.

The Prime Minister illustrated how any small research can change the face of the world by giving the example of electricity. Electricity runs everything today, whether it is transportation, communication, industry or everyday life. Similarly, invention like semi-conductor has enriched our life with digital revolution. Many such possibilities are before our young researchers, who will pave for a totally different future with their research and inventions The Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also listed out efforts to create a future -ready eco-system. India has broken into the top 50 of the Global Innovation Ranking, India ranks 3^rd in peer reviewed science and engineering publications which shows an emphasis on basic research. Collaboration between Industry and institutions is being strengthened. All the big companies of the world are establishing their research facilities in India. In recent years, the number of such facilities have increased significantly.

The Prime Minister said, the possibilities of research and innovation are endless for Indian youth. Therefore, institutionalization of innovation is equally critical as the innovation itself. Our youth will have to understand how to protect intellectual property. We will have to remember that the more our patents are there, the more their utility. Our identity will get strong in the sectors where our research is strong and leading. This will lead to a stronger Brand India, The Prime Minister said.

Calling the scientists karam yogis, the Prime Minister praised their sage-like efforts in the lab and said that they are the conduit of the hopes and aspirations of 130 crore Indians. 

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DS/AKP