SME Times News Bureau | 09 Jul, 2013
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday urged his scientific
advisory council to focus on the "challenge" of increasing private
investments in research and development (R&D) to convert knowledge into
value and wealth.
"Increasing private sector investments into R&D and making possible
conversion of knowledge into value and wealth remains a challenge that I would
like the council to look into," he said at the release here of a book
"Science in India (2004-13): Decade of achievements and rising
aspirations", compiled by the council, an official statement said.
Noting that adequate funding is critical for science, he asserted that his
government has accorded high priority to it.
"Unfortunately, private sector investment into R&D has not grown fast
enough for us to double the overall national investments into R&D from the
current level of 1 percent of GDP to 2 percent," said the prime minister.
Manmohan Singh said that the government's efforts during the last decade has
focused on two broad themes including attempt to strengthen and expand
institutional mechanism for scientific research and to leverage science to
address the longstanding practical problems like disease, malnutrition or
provision of safe drinking water.
"I have always believed that our scientists must provide viable solutions
to pressing national problems of food and nutrition security, energy and
environment security and water and sanitation related problems. We require new
approaches to make our innovations green and affordable to many," said the
prime minister.
The new Science, Technology and Innovation Policy launched earlier this year
aims to make India a global leader in science, but required a regular supply of
talent, said the prime minister.
"We need strong and high-quality educational and scientific institutions
to identify and mentor talent. We also need an ecosystem in which applications
of new scientific knowledge can be seamlessly integrated with innovation to
drive the path of economic progress and prosperity and solve the unique
problems of our people," he said.
