Let me begin by congratulating the Indian Space Research
Organisation for successfully undertaking one of its most challenging satellite
launches.
As many as eight satellites have been launched in two different orbits, in a
single PSLV flight.
I am privileged to inaugurate CSIR's Platinum Jubilee Function on the occasion
of its Seventy-Fifth Foundation Day.
Also as President of the Council, let me take this opportunity to welcome you
all for the year-long Celebrations of CSIR Platinum Jubilee.
I especially welcome the One Hundred and Fifty Science students from Kendriya
Vidyalayas, who are present here today, as well as the students and research
scholars at IITs and IISERs, who are watching this event live.
It is a matter of pride for every Indian that CSIR is celebrating 75th year of
committed contribution to the development of modern India.
This has been a journey dedicated to the Nation.
Starting with the indelible ink which is the hallmark of our
democratic fabric, CSIR has left an indelible mark on every sphere of
life.
With an all-round approach to Research and Development CSIR is a
reflection of India in its diversity and heterogeneity.
From agriculture to aerospace, bio-sensors to bio-pharmaceuticals,
chemicals to climate change, drug development to deep sea explorations, from
earth sciences to energy, food to fragrance, glass to genomics, housing to
healthcare, instrumentation to informatics, leather to Light Combat Aircraft,
microbes to mining to materials, optics to optical fibres, pigments to power
electronics, roads to robotics, sensors to solar energy, tractors to transport,
UAVs to under water vehicles, and water to weather forecasting, CSIR has
registered its presence.
Swaraj, the first Tractor of the country, Baby Milk Powder, the
first Super Computer of the country; these are just some of the accomplishments
of CSIR.
Before arriving in this hall, I saw the achievements of CSIR show-cased in an
exhibition. I would like to see this exhibition taken to other parts of the
country, so that people can know and appreciate CSIR's achievements.
Our efforts should be to prepare CSIR for modern technologies and emerging
challenges.
In my view, CSIR needs to create an "Ease of doing Technology
Business" platform to bring in the right stakeholders, so the technologies
reach the intended beneficiaries.
Recently, CSIR has developed the first Ayurvedic medicine of the country for
diabetic patients. All of you are aware about the potential of this medicine.
Now our goal should be to make people aware of the benefits of this medicine so
that they can make best use of the same.
History is the witness to the fact that no country
has developed without the progress in Science and Technology. Currently the
country is moving at a pace of 7% rate of growth and it needs the cooperation
of scientific institutions. Therefore your roadmap should be based upon
addressing the current challenges of the country. For example CSIR has
developed solar tree this year. This solar tree occupies only 4 square feet of
the space. Now you have to plan out as to how to make this solar tree available
at every corner of the country so that people get benefited by it. Solar energy
is extremely significant for addressing the challenge of power shortage. You
are capable of revolutionising every sector. The government's aim is to produce
100 Giga watts of solar energy in the country by 2022. The government needs
full support of all the scientists in order to achieve this goal; for example
how to increase the efficiency of the solar cell to the optimum level at the
minimum cost. Any technology will only be successful if it benefits the common
man. In what way can your inventions or methods be helpful for those farmer
brothers, poor mothers, sisters and youngsters who are struggling in their
daily lives? This is the purpose of setting up of CSIR. We need to think on
those lines and bring out results. Scientific research and inventions do not
happen overnight. It is a continuous process and turns out to be a game changer
one day.
CSIR has been engaged in this work since a long
time. But now I can see a great transformation. We have been doing research but
can time bound delivery become our prime agenda? I have great expectations from
you. Sometimes I feel that my expectations are way too big but it is only because
I have tremendous belief in you. You have made great contributions for the past
75 years and therefore I believe that you can contribute even more; after all
one can ask from only those who are capable of delivering.
Therefore on the 75th anniversary we should think
about the one line agenda on time bound delivery. We should also think about
strengthening the value change link with the new research. We should focus on
concerted efforts by bringing together research institutes, government,
industries, NGOs, service providers and consumers. It is because without
coordinated efforts we won't get the desired results.
Sometimes it has been noticed that there are
inventions but those are not benefiting the common man; or the common man is
not aware of it; or the required modifications have not been made according to
the needs. I believe that the benefits of the inventions can be easily expanded
if the resources that are available can be simplified to address the
problems. The scientific research institutes also have to take feedback
from the stakeholders at the research and development stage. If there is no
interaction with the stakeholders and we do not understand their needs then
even if that product wins several awards in competitions and popular magazines
print their research articles, it will be of no use in a country like India, if
the problems of common man are not getting resolved by that invention. CSIR
should provide opportunities to the youngsters with great vigour, for
conducting research in CSIR Labs.
Today we can see several Talent Search competitions
are organised on television for singing or dancing. We never thought before
that the small kids are endowed with such talents. But their talent is not
limited to just one or two fields. They are talented in every field, which is
yet to be tapped. The kids are in search of an opportunity. Can our Labs be
the centre of attraction for these children? The children might think
that let us not visit our relatives this Saturday and Sunday and instead go to
the labs. If sir guides us we can do accordingly. You all are great scientists
and if you think of your childhood, you all must have had this eccentricity and
because of that you have reached at this position today. Someone might have
guided you and supported you. Someone might have taken you to the Labs. In
a similar way, if these children are taken to the labs and are provided
guidance then the future of the country can transform.
CSIR will have to play a strong role in creating new
entrepreneurs in the country with the help of its resources. We have started
the Start-up India and Stand up India Movement; if we introduce your discovery
to the youth who want to do something, that product can be very
encouraging. The CSIR movement and the stand-up India Movement should come
together to inspire the younger generation that wants to do something new. If
the problem at hand, your research and the zeal of the youth are integrated,
these three can provide something new to the world and a new possibility will
be opened up. We should explore these possibilities.
Today there is a need to channelize the research
funding that is being provided by different organisations. Can't we make a web
portal where the details of funding, research and its results will be displayed
on a single platform? I am not asking you to reveal the secrets of your
research; that is your property. But you can provide some details regarding the
research topic. Sometimes the same thing is being done by 10 other people; our
energy as well as fund is getting wasted this way. So another person would not
engage in the same work being done by 10 others and could find an alternative
or a new path of research. If we create a portal, we can ask questions and put
forth problems before the people. They can also throw some light on a given
subject.
The year 2022 will mark 75 years of independence.
Just like CSIR has the enthusiasm of celebrating 75 years of its foundation, it
should have the same zeal for trying to come up with some new ideas on the 75th
year of independence. Our aim is to double the farmers’ income by 2022. You
should come up with new varieties of crops in order to achieve this objective.
A special focus should be on developing new varieties of pulses that can be
grown even in rain-fed areas so that there is an increase in the productivity
of pulses. Pulses are one of the major sources of proteins that can tackle
diseases due to its deficiency.
We need to think of ways to increase the yield of
pulses per hectare because it is important not only as a source of protein but
also for doubling the agriculture sector income by 2022. In the age of
genetics, the scientists can achieve this. I had interacted with the farmers of
remote areas and observed that they have the determination of doing something
different. The scientist can give an impetus in this direction and we can get
the results in the right time. Our objective should not only be to reduce the
gap of production and consumption but also to increase the exports. I am
talking about exports because when I visited the gulf countries in the past I
noticed that they were struggling with the challenge of water scarcity. They
have to import food - fruits, vegetables, cereals and everything. They are
rich countries where the population is increasing and their economy is
petroleum based. They have a lot of wealth but they have to import food
grains. Can we fulfil their requirements by exporting such items? We can
think about developing such items in agricultural sector so that we can
establish an assured market for the coming 50-100 years. It should be sound in
terms of quality, quantity and affordability. I am sure that our scientists can
achieve this objective. This will not only benefit Indian farmers but also
fulfil the requirements of our neighbouring Gulf countries. India is that
country which can export its items at the lowest cost. We should not let go of
this opportunity.
CSIR has made great contributions in the health
sector. Yet our country suffers from diseases like TB, Malaria, Chikungunya and
dengue. CSIR must conduct research on the ways the country can get rid of these
diseases. For example, can we develop cost effective Diagnostic kits that can
help in detection of the disease at an early stage? Today health sector has
become technology driven. Today the machines are playing more significant roles
in detecting diseases. The doctors just command the Machines. I feel it is
a great opportunity for you because medical science has become technology
driven. Moreover, I believe that these kits should be made available to the
ASHA workers in the remotest corner of the villages. They should be well
connected to technology so that any epidemic can be detected at the earliest.
We should explore the possibilities and everything is possible in today's time.
I hope that we move towards addressing the challenges at a mass scale and
provide the youngsters with new opportunities and challenges.
We know that the biggest reason for the poor
becoming sick is the problem of unhygienic conditions. I am not asking you to
go and clean the garbage. But we can develop affordable technology for waste
disposal. It won't be a rocket science. There is a great opportunity in
the field of waste management for the new start-ups. Greater the technological
intervention in the field of waste to wealth creation, greater will be the
possibility of expansion of business in this field. This can also benefit the
health sector. We can also link the issue of nutrition with
cleanliness. Cleanliness will also provide safe drinking water and safe
drinking water will help us to eliminate diseases. All these things are not
limited to medical science. There is a need for an intervention by the
scientists. It is not that we don't have the technology. But India needs an
affordable technology.
Our technology should develop based upon the
resources available to us. Sometimes an invention is made for its use after
50-100 years. But for a country like India the invention should be capable of
addressing the present challenges. The success in this regard can help at
global level or for the future generations as well by forming a base for the
future research work.
CSIR has done several research works on water
security as well. But there is a need to increase the pace of work towards
making the use of water resources more economic, efficient and effective. We
know that water scarcity is a big problem. People write about the possibility of
war because of scarcity of water. People may write whatever they like. But
those who are sitting inside the lab have to find a solution towards water
conservation. We are making efforts today in the agricultural sector with -
'per drop more crop'. Today the importance of land has also been increasing in
India. Unless we carry forward the mission of 'Per drop more crop' as well as
'an inch of land and bunch of crop', we won’t be able to understand its
significance.
Water pollution is another problem which we are
facing. The work of cleaning of Ganga has been going on for several years. We
need to find scientific methods. Training the masses and finding scientific
paths are the only things that can solve our problems.
Today we have more number of mobile phones than the
population of the country. Recharging the battery of the smart phones is a big
issue because of the poor battery life of most of these smartphones. Sometimes
a person has to visit another village in order to recharge his battery. One has
to carry a power bank with him in case of greater usage of the smart
phones. Can our scientists provide a solution to this problem? This can provide
such a great market. I believe that science applied at a lower level can
definitely be expanded. Although I am not a scientist but I believe that you
can do it. If it is prioritised it will be of great commercial value.
Today the field of sports is not just confined to
the sports ground. I was observing a few things displayed at your exhibition.
They informed me about how leather objects were made. I asked them whether any
research is been conducted regarding shoes and costumes required for sports.
These things are pertinent for the players' fitness and comfort level. Moreover
there is also a need for providing good fields, good coaches and good equipment
to the players. There is a need for scientific environment in the field of
sports. Players have to prepare themselves with regard to the psychology as
well as comfort levels along with other aspects.
The world of Technology should enhance the
possibilities of the sports field. You must have seen that in the field of
space science, scientific environment is created for the training of the
astronauts. These astronauts are sent to the space only after successful completion
of this training. The crux of the matter is that we should connect science with
the common man. 21st century is technology-driven century. In this
century of technology, can we connect the needs of the 21st century
as well as the needs of India with science and technology?
If we can link our traditional knowledge with modern
system then we can find solutions to a number of problems. Today the world is
talking about yoga and Ayurveda but there is no scientific form of the same.
Can we work towards providing it a scientific shape?
Today on this occasion the scientists have been
conferred with the National Award. I congratulate all the scientists who have
received this honour. These awards include the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award
for 2012-15, the CSIR Diamond Technology Jubilee award of 2012-14, the
CSIR award for Science and Technology innovations in rural development, the
2016 GN Ramachandran gold medal and the CSIR young scientist award. These
awards are not only for them but also for their families, friends and teachers;
those teachers who had inspired them for science and new inventions since their
childhood.
Today the country is proud of all of you. You will move
ahead with new efforts and hopes firmly. This award will inspire you for more
innovative inventions that are necessary for the development of the country.
The students see you as a role model. On this occasion I expect you all to
guide the younger generation as well. The scientists associated with CSIR
should increase their interactions with school and college students. Is it
possible that every scientist gives a lecture in some or the other college or
university at least once a month? Is it possible that those who have received
award today adopt a school or a collage as a mentor? Even if only 5 students from
a school or college are mentored by you then the country will get 300 new
scientists. Just like you are contributing to the country with your new
inventions, if you also gift the country with one or two scientists, it will be
the greatest work of the century.
I once again congratulate you all. On this occasion
of 75th foundation day of CSIR, I appeal to you all to frame a vision regarding
fulfilment of the needs of the country by the year 2022 when we will complete
75 years of independence. With this resolution we should move ahead. Best
wishes to you all. Thanks a lot!
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AKT/AK/IG/MG/AK