The country's Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh ji, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Ajay Kumar Sood, Nobel Prize winner Sir Andre Geim present among us, all the scientists, innovators, people from academia, other dignitaries from India and abroad, ladies and gentlemen!

Today's event is related to science, but first of all I will talk about India's spectacular victory in cricket. The whole of India is very happy with the success of its cricket team. This is India's first Women's World Cup. I congratulate our women's cricket team. We are proud of you. Your success will inspire crores of young people across the country.

Friends, 

Yesterday India also hoisted its flag in the world of science and technology. Yesterday, Indian scientists successfully launched India's heaviest communication satellite. I congratulate all the scientists associated with this mission and as well as to ISRO.

Friends, 

Today is a significant day in the world of science and technology. In this time of the 21st century, there was a great need for experts from all over the world to come together to brainstorm on Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation, and together they should show the direction. This need sparked an idea, and from this idea came the vision of this Conclave. I am happy that today that vision is taking shape in the form of this Conclave. Many ministries, the private sector, startups, and students are united in this effort. It is a matter of honour for us that a Nobel Laureate is also present among us today. I congratulate all of you very much. I also wish you all the best for this conclave.

Friends, 

This era of the 21st century is a period of most unprecedented changes. Today we are witnessing a new shift in Global Order. This pace of change is not linear, but exponential. With this thinking, today India is taking forward all these aspects related to Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation, and is continuously focusing on it. Now, one example is research funding. You all have been familiar with the vision of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' for a long time. While focusing on research, we have also added Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan to it. We have created Anusandhan National Research Foundation, so that research and innovation can be scaled up in our universities. Along with this, we have also launched the Research, Development and Innovation Scheme. And an amount of Rs 1 lakh crore has been fixed for this. You might be thinking that this Rs 1 lakh crore is going to remain with Modi ji, that is why you are not clapping. This 1 lakh crore rupees is for you, to increase your capabilities, to open new doors of opportunity for you. Our effort is to promote research and development in the private sector as well. For the first time, capital is also being made available for high-risk and high-impact projects.

Friends, 

We are also focusing on Ease of Doing Research to create a modern ecosystem of innovations in India. In this direction, our government has made many reforms in Financial Rules and Procurement Policies. We have also made reforms in regulations, incentives and supply chains, so that prototypes can quickly move from the lab to the market.

Friends, 

The impact of the policies and decisions made in the last few years to make India an innovation hub is now clearly visible. I would like to place some figures before you with great satisfaction. Although I am not a person who gets satisfied easily by nature. But this satisfaction of mine is in the context of the past; I still have a lot of satisfaction left in the context of the future. I have a long way to go. In the last decade, our R&D expenditure has doubled, the number of patents registered in India has increased 17 times, 17 times… an increase of 17 times. Even in start-ups, India has now become the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. Today, more than 6,000 of our Deep-Tech Startups are working in areas like Clean Energy, Advanced Materials. India's semiconductor sector has also taken off now. Talking about Bio-Economy, it was worth 10 billion dollars in 2014, today it has reached around 140 billion dollars.

Friends, 

Over the past few years, we have also moved into several Sunrise Domains. India has registered its 'promising presence' in all these domains - Green Hydrogen, Quantum Computing, Deep Sea Research, Critical Minerals.

Friends, 

When science gets scale, when innovation becomes inclusive, and when technology brings transformation, then the foundation for big achievements becomes strong and ready. India's journey over the last 10–11 years is an example of this vision. India is no longer a consumer of technology, but has become a pioneer of transformation through technology. During COVID, we developed indigenous vaccines in record time. We implemented the world's largest vaccination program.

Friends, 

How is it possible to successfully implement policies and programs on such a mammoth scale? This became possible because today, if anyone has the world's first and most successful digital public infrastructure, that country is India. We have connected 2 lakh Gram Panchayats with Optical Fibre. We have democratized mobile data.

Friends, 

Over the years, while our space program has reached the Moon and Mars, we have also connected our farmers and fishermen to the benefits of space science. And certainly, all of you have contributed to all these achievements.

Friends, 

When innovation is inclusive, its main beneficiaries also become its leaders. The women of India are the biggest example of this. You see, whenever there is talk about India's space missions in the world, there is a lot of discussion about Indian women scientists. Even in patent filing, the number of patents filed annually by women in India was less than 100 a decade ago. Now it has reached more than 5 thousand annually. Even in STEM education, the share of women is around 43 percent, which is more than the global average. I was going up in the lift with the Science and Technology Minister of a developed country in the world. So, as we both chatted in the elevator, he asked me, "Do girls in India pursue science and technology?" That is, it was a big wonder in his mind. When I told him that there are so many numbers in my country, he was shocked. "The daughters of India have proven this. And even today, I see how many of our daughters and sisters are sitting here. These statistics tell us how rapidly women are advancing in the fields of science and technology in India.

Friends, 

There are some moments in history which provide motivation to many generations. A few years ago, our children witnessed the journey of Chandrayaan, also saw its success, and the success became a reason and an opportunity to attract them towards science in a big way. And they had seen both failure and success. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's recent visit to the Space Station has sparked a new curiosity among children. We should take advantage of this curiosity that has arisen in the new generation.

Friends, 

The more the bright youngsters we can direct towards science, technology and innovation, the better it will be. With this vision, nearly 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been established across the country. In these labs, more than 1 crore children are experimenting with curiosity and creativity. And you will be happy to know that seeing the success of these labs, we are also going to create 25 thousand new Atal Tinkering Labs. Hundreds of new universities have been established in the country over the past few years, and seven new IITs and 16 Triple ITs have also been established. In the new education policy, we have also ensured that young people can now pursue STEM courses like science and engineering in their local languages.

Friends, 

Our government's Prime Minister's Research Fellowship has been very successful among young researchers. The grants provided under this scheme have greatly helped young people. Now, we have decided to further strengthen R&D in the country by awarding 10,000 fellowships over the next five years.

Friends, 

It is very important that we understand the transformative power of science and technology, and also make them ethical and inclusive. For example, look at Artificial Intelligence, today AI is being used everywhere, from Retail to Logistics, from Customer Service to children's Homework. Therefore, in India, we are also making the power of AI useful to every segment of society. More than Rs 10,000 crore is being invested in the India AI Mission.

Friends, 

Today, India is shaping the global framework for ethical and human-centric AI. Our upcoming AI Governance Framework will be a major step in this direction. Its aim is to develop innovation and safety together. When India hosts the Global AI Summit in February next year, efforts towards inclusive, ethical, and human-centric AI will gain new momentum.

Friends, 

Now is the time for us to work with double energy in Emerging Areas. This is also crucial for achieving our goal of a developed India. I want to share some ideas with you; we should move beyond Food Security and move towards Nutrition Security. Can we develop next-generation biofortified crops that will help the world in the fight against malnutrition? Can we bring such innovations in Low-Cost Soil Health Enhancers and Bio-Fertilizers, which can become an alternative to chemical inputs and improve soil health? Can we better map India's genomic diversity to provide new directions for personalized medicine and disease prediction? Can we make new and affordable innovations in clean energy storage, such as batteries? In every field, we should see for which critical inputs we are dependent globally, and how self-reliance can be achieved in them.

friends, 

I am confident that all of you, people associated with the world of Science and Technology, will go beyond these questions and discover new possibilities. If you have ideas, I am with you. Our government is fully committed to funding research and providing opportunities to scientists. I would also like that a Collective Roadmap should be prepared in this Conclave. I am fully confident that this conclave will take India's innovation journey to new heights. Once again, I wish you all the best.

Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan. 

Thank you very much.

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MJPS/VJ/SS