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Department of Science & Technology Secretary, Professor Ashutosh Sharma highlighted that the crisis created by the pandemic has taught us many lessons, and the lessons are being incorporated in all ongoing programmes as well as in future policies and programmes, at a lecture on the Growth of S&T during 21st Century and the COVID-19’.

“The pandemic COVID-19 has greatly disrupted the normal life and business, but it has also given us an opportunity to look at things differently and be self-dependent in future to tackle such sudden challenges. Before COVID-19, we were exporting most of the health care products that we could have produced in India, but now we ourselves are producing most of the items. We are not dependent on importing these items from abroad, paving the way towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in health and other sectors,” Prof Sharma said at the online lecture organized on July 31, 2021.  

The lecture was part of the Science to Society programme organized by Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, Govt. of India, in association with IIT Delhi Alumni Association (IITDAA). This was the first lecture under the theme “Science to Society”.

“Connecting science to society can make S&T one of the strongest pillars for peace and development. Communication of science to society at large is a major challenge. Science needs to reach the masses so that it can be used as a major tool for peace and development. We must have a clear picture about what knowledge we are producing, the relevance of that knowledge, where the creators and takers of that knowledge would come from, the efforts to be made so that this knowledge is consumed, and the way through which it will reach the society to empower it,” he added.

Professor V Ramgopal Rao pointed out that there are many things happening in various institutions so that invention and innovation can go hand in hand to help science, technology, and innovation play its role in solving societal problems. 

“What we have received from science in life, we are always eager to give it back to society and play our part in development and progress of the country as well as in solving societal problems,” said Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava, EC, IITDAA. 

 

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