I am grateful for this opportunity that has uniqueness because it underscores all developmental activities. Honourable Governor of Karnataka, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot ji, CMD Bharat Electronics Limited, Shri Manoj Jain, Distinguished Directors of BEL, Officials, Scientists, Staff and Distinguished Audience.

 At the outset, my congratulations to about 500 awardees. Such kind of recognition is motivational, inspirational and becomes a nerve centre of emulation by others. I have had the occasion to personally present some awards. I would be happy to connect with the others as and when an occasion so arrives.

 It is of importance that we are meeting in Nalanda. Nalanda reminds us that Nalanda, Takshila and many other ancient institutions, they were nerve centre of knowledge and learning at global level. We had people in pursuit of knowledge thronging to these institutions.

 They brought on the table their experience and gained in the process. Suddenly we lost track, take for instance Nalanda. It is now being rediscovered.But I think about 1000 years or 1100 years ago, we lost track. Till then it was blossoming, nurturing a beacon to the entire world of knowledge and wisdom. This whole therefore is a reminder of our rich past.Also very fascinating and satisfying that we are back to the groove. Now the country is dotted with institutions of excellence. IITs, IIMs, Institutions in Law, Space, Blue economy, all are coming up in the country.

 And the growth is taking place at a fast pace. But if we come to the impact on civilisation, it is excellence and education that alone define where a civilisation or Nation will go. And therefore, we have to lay great emphasis on excellence.

 Excellence emanates from education. Education is the only mechanism, powerful, game changer, impactful that brings about equality, that cuts into inequities and that enables people who are meritorious to avail opportunities. And therefore, the name will ever inspire us.

 When I entered on the left side or right side of the building, I saw that it was named M. Vishweshwaraiah Hall. The Honourable Governor, a learned man, was quick to reflect to himself, and I also shared it, Bharat Ratna, a fact known to all of us. We are proud.

 But that he came from a particular stream, a stream to which you connect, carries very great importance. The nation at the moment is full of hope and possibility. India has become an aspirational country because no country in the world has had a phenomenal exponential rise in the last decade which Bharat has had.

 No country in terms of economy, in terms of infrastructure, in terms of digitisation, in terms of reputation. Voice of India is now heard everywhere. There was a time when we would not find a human soul from this country having a footfall in global corporates or Silicon Valley. But now we are controllers. There is no global corporate or outfit engaged in research and development or technology that does not have an Indian genius contributing at the top.

 In such kind of a situation, an institution like yours has to play a critical role. We have to self-audit, not with respect to ourselves. Year on year we may be doing well. There is all the reason for us to be in jubilant mode. But we have to compare with the outfits in the world and we have to compare with the challenges we have to face because your portfolio is not only large, it is getting enlarged every day. Radar systems to weapon systems, electronic warfare equipment to communication solutions. Now these are fundamental because a nation is safe if it has peace and peace is secured only from position of strength and position of strength is defined by your defence preparedness.

 Gone are the days of conventional warfare. Now you have to be technologically very equipped. The world is at the cusp of another great change. The change has made deep inroads.

 It's making fast inroads. Every moment we are on technological quicksand. I am referring to disruptive technologies.

 These have to be harnessed. These have to be unleashed. These have to be unleashed for positive gain.

 The challenges have to be converted into opportunities and therefore the task before you is very, very daunting. You all must be seriously concerned why we are having imported items in critical situations. You must engage in import substitution and that can't be a standalone exercise.

 An organisation like this has to be in sync with engineering outfits like IITs, with managerial skills that emanate from IIMs, with corporates that are engaged into similar industry activities. There has to be convergence of all these so that you really get some kind of a mechanism to have real results. It is good that we have research and development and patents but we can't have a satisfaction level and by and large the experience is that our focus on research and development is much behind the requirement when we take our Nation's import in the world, demographic size and the role it has to play.

 We have to spearhead research and development. In global perspective, if you look our patent contribution, these must be desired. When it comes to research, the research has to be authentic, the research has to be cutting edge, the research has to be practical, the research must change the ground reality.

 There is no use having research which goes a little beyond surface scratching. Your research must correlate with the change you seek to bring about and that requires nurturing of the human resource that is engaged in research. It requires a very wholesome, soothing ecosystem.

 It requires physical support. It cannot have a constraint or timeline that you perform. It has to come like Archimedes.

 He was in the bathroom and then said, “Eureka, Eureka, Eureka”. The nation abounds in talent. Our young boys and girls, they are not aware still of the unmet basket of opportunities.

 They engage into long queues for government jobs. Thankfully, National Education Policy has brought about a big change. Change for the better that we are getting distanced from degrees. We are becoming skill oriented. But what is now greatly fundamental is the spirit to innovate, the spirit to engage in research that must be inflamed while you are in school and colleges. And that can happen when we recognise the people who have contributed as we have done to some.

 But the recognition must not be confined only to ritualistic felicitation or giving a memento. It must go beyond. It must have tangible aspects.

 India is a country that abounds in resources, but optimal utilisation of resources, timely utilisation of resources, bridging the technological gap. And why not? We should be leaders. We did rather well in imagining a quantum computing commission with fiscal allocation of 6000 crores.

 You must move ahead. The challenges that are thrown by Green Hydrogen Mission. These are the challenges that must find solutions.

 I had the occasion a day before to interact with the man who is in charge of science and technology. And when it comes to our contribution, by way of patents, we are contributing not in consequential fields. Our presence is miniscule.

 We are one sixth of humanity. Our genius allows us a wider participation. And for that, everyone who is in managerial seat, seat of governance, must take initiative, that is required because we can emerge as an economic powerhouse in the global community only when we subscribe to research and development.

 The very concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat is rooted on this. Atmanirbharata will come only and only when the world will look at us as a crucible of research and development.

 And for that, I appeal to our corporates. They are bound to be the greater scalers. But at the moment, their focus is not that much. If you look at the contributions of the corporate for research and development in global perspective, we hardly figure. 

 I know the corporates are envisioned by enlightened managerial skills. But they must converge on one platform, make it a mission that research and development will get a big leap.

 We have to be passionate about it. Three-pronged strategy I suggest, And that is the pathway to economic sovereignty.And that will happen when we make our investments in research and development.

 This will help us in our defence needs and strategic needs. Because if we are not having it ourselves, we are really paying a huge price for it.

I have had the occasion to see indigenous component. And we are increasingly having equipments that have indigenisation.

 But are we having engines? Are we having the core material? Are we having that which others want to source from us? Or are we confining it to usual aspects? There's no point in being satisfied that we are indigenous when it comes to nuts and bolts.

 Our aim has to be 100%. And that can happen only when you are fired with a mission. And that, friends, is the need of the times.

 We have aimed to be a developed nation by 2047. For that, we will have to engage massively in manufacturing. The manufacturing activity has to gallop, and that can gallop and cater to national and international needs only when we have exclusivity by way of research and development in certain areas. Authentic research should alone be recognised as research. The one who overlooks research must have stringent standards.

The exemplification has to be, if it is recognised at a global level, a research paper that has momentary importance of being presented and then goes in the shelf. That dust is something we must keep away from. While your track record is extremely impressive, but when the whole nation is in expectation mode, it expects more.

 We cannot rest our laurels on our past achievements. Our past achievements over a decade have been exponential, phenomenal, unprecedented, beyond contemplation. 500 million people getting into banking inclusion. 150 million getting gas connections, digital connectivity going down to the villages, roads coming of shape that match the world, the best in the world, trains. Everything is happening. But people want more because we have established to them as governance that we realise what we promise.

 And therefore, every day we will have to be innovative. And that is how if institutes like yours engage into research and development, that will result in more jobs. Because the dream of Viksit Bharat, which is no longer a dream according to me, it's our object, our destination, a short destination.

 But you will have to take a quantum jump when it comes to per capita income. I therefore, after bestowing attention with whatever little input I have, your organisation must now focus on work. It must lead the semiconductor revolution from design to manufacture.

 Think about it, brainstorm, scratch your brains. This is need of the hour. We need to take initiative to establish India's position in global supply chains through friend-shoring. Do it. Nurture domestic startups and indigenous component development.

 Identify startups that require hand-holding. There are enough people who seek to venture. I've been telling people, if you have an idea, don't allow your mind, your brain to be a parking station for it.

Don't fear failure. Experiment. What you call failure is nothing but a requirement of success that you will succeed next time.

And please foster collaborations. Don't be stand-alone. Get in touch with IITs, IIMs, Institutes of Excellence. Have a MOUs with them because you'll get several things which you don't have and may be difficult for you to develop, you’ll have readymade.

 A good suggestion was given to me only the day before by someone who is involved in the medical system. He said our medical colleges must engage with engineering colleges, with management colleges because they are interdependent now.

 So like we are having inter-dependent global community for everything. Even various fields are also interdependent. Someone will have to contribute more.

When you are part of a system, there will be some areas where you will be contributing majorly. There will be areas where others will be contributing majorly. Foster deep collaborations. Then transform yourself into a hub where industry meets academia creating cutting-edge solutions. Unless you will have dialogue, unless there will be expression of thoughts by people who are in startups industry, you will not be able to know what they are looking for, what problems they are facing. Even users of the top mobile phones, they can suggest what needs to be added. I don't want to take name of a brand but even the very best of them have deficiencies that require to be addressed and therefore ultimately the consumer is a perfect guide to tell you what inventory he or she wants and what he is looking for. And I am sure when you will engage into this activity, your human resource will be surcharged, energised, motivated and they will earn greater respect also.

 Swami Vivekananda said , “Arise, awake, stop, not till the goal is achieved.” and tomorrow is the day, I am saying it only a day before. We cannot have a Viksit Bharat unless it is a collective goal. He That pursuit, I add to that one thing, time is running out for us.

 We have aroused the aspirations of 1.4 billion people, 1.4 billion people of this country have tasted development, they have tasted fruits of infrastructure, they have tasted availability of toilet, water, roads, at doorstep, they have gas connections, they are on aspirational mode, they have been involved with affordable housing, they are eager to take big leap, you have to create ecosystem for them.

 My congratulations to you that you are engaged into an activity that has a great connect with our development journey and I am sure your contribution will be optimal, nothing but optimal.

 Thank you so much.

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