Jammu: In major boost to scientific research and development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday announced projects including a National Mission on High Performance Computing and a Neutrino-based Observatory in Tamil Nadu with an outlay of about Rs. 9,000 crore.
Asserting that government has invested in several areas to ensure that India remains at the cutting edge of science, he also announced that India is joining the CERN Institute, a premier Europen Organisation for Nuclear Research, as an associate member. Addressing the Indian Science Congress for the tenth year in succession, Singh said India needs to leverage the ability of modern science to deliver value to society.
"We must also seek global leadership in at least some research and development areas. Affordable innovations for human healthcare, sustainable agriculture, clean energy and total solutions for water-related challenges are some areas where Indian science can seek global leadership," he said delegates to the Congress.
The inaguration of the 5-day meet was attended among others by Union Science and Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. With "Innovations in Science and Technology for Inclusive Development" as its theme for this year's Congress, the five-day meet is being attended by around 500 scientists from India and abroad, two Nobel laureates Lee YT and Ferid Murad. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Avinash Chander will be among those who deliver lectures. The Prime Minister said the National Mission on High Performance Computing with an outlay of Rs.4,500 crore and considering establishment of National Geographical Information System with an outlay of Rs,3,000 crore.
Announcing that India will partner the international scientific community in the establishment of some of the world's major R and D projects, he said in the Gravitational Wave experiment, India intends to host the third detector. A Neutrino-based observatory is proposed to be set in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs.1450 crore. India is also joining the famous CERN Institute as an associate member. After some controversy over the proposal to locate the Neutrino Observatory in the Nilgiris following fears of environmental damage, the observatory is now proposed to be set up in the West Bodi hills of Tamil Nadu.
Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a proposed particle physics research project to study atmospheric neutrinos. Singh said India intends to host the third detector in the Gravitational Wave Experiment. He also said Indian nuclear scientists were attracting global in their effort to develop a Fast Breeder Reactor. "I expect the prototype under construction in Kalpakkam to be completed this year." It will be a great day for Indian science and technology because we will be one of the few countries in the world with leadership in a completely new area of nuclear technology that can contribute non-polluting electrical power."
Pitching for more funds to promote science, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the country's annual expenditure on science and technology should be at least two per cent of the GDP. "To do science, someone must pay for it. We must increase our annual expenditure on science and technology to at least 2 per cent of GDP. This has to come from both government and industry.
"In countries such as South Korea, where a high percentage of the GDP goes to science, the contribution of industry is significant," Singh noted. Lauding Indian scientists working in the fields of atomic energy, space and earth science, the Prime Minister said India has occupied an "enviable position" in these fields.
"The launch of our Moon and Mars Mission are a testimony of the giant strides we are making in space. We have now the ability to issue alerts within 13 minutes of a tsunami-genic event," he noted. "Our decision to set up a new Ministry of Earth Sciences following the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and to invest in world-class tsunami forewarning systems in 2007 has been amply rewarded", the Prime Minister said.
He said the country's advances in meteorology were evident during the cyclone in Odisha, when "we received accurate forecasts of landfall point that were more accurate than the forecasts of well known international bodies. I would also like to see continuous improvement in our monsoon prediction capability through the recently launched Monsoon Mission so that we can avert the kind of calamities that we saw in Uttarakhand last year", he said.
Batting for Bt crops, Singh said while safety must be ensured we should not succumb to unscientific prejudices. "To ensure food security and to improve and water productivity, we have to launch a national drive for an ever-green revolution." Singh also announced institution of 25 Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowships, under which eminent scientists from abroad will be invited to work in India for 12 months over a period of three years.
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