PM says transformation of the agricultural sector should be the top priority of the country's public policies

Updated on: Saturday, January 05, 2013

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said transformation of the agricultural sector should be the top priority of the country's public policies including those on science and technology.

He also said that complex issues related to genetically modified food, nuclear energy or the exploration of outer space cannot be settled by faith, emotion and fear, but by a structured debate.

Singh told the centenary session of Indian Science Congress here that "Nearly 65 per cent of our people live in rural areas. The 12th Five Year Plan assumes that a sustained growth in agriculture at the rate of four per cent per annum is essential to achieve food security."

"This transformation of the agriculture sector must be the top priority concern of our public policies, including science and technology policies," Singh said.

Noting growth was constrained by shortage of water and land, he said, "We need new breakthroughs in water-saving technologies in cultivation, enhancement of land productivity and development of climate-resilient varieties".

Releasing the country's Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013, the Prime Minister said, "India aspires to be among the top five global scientific powers by 2020".

He said development in science and technology had been central to the phenomenal material advancement and efficiency in the use of resources.

"As India seeks a sustained growth in national income, we must endeavour to harness the tools of science and technology to cater to the needs of the underprivileged and to bridge the gap between have and have-nots," Singh said.

The Prime Minister also called upon the younger generation to adopt science-based value system in order to benefit from what the discipline could offer.

"Complex issues, be they be genetically modified food or nuclear energy or the exploration of outer space, cannot be settled by faith, emotion and fear, but by structured debate, analysis and enlightenment, Singh observed.

"A scientific approach and understanding of these issues are, therefore, as vital as our core scientific capabilities," he added.

Talking about the new policy, Singh said the goal is to produce and nurture talent in science, to stimulate research and develop young leaders in science and to create an environment for greater private sector cooperation in research and innovation.

"The 12th plan, which was approved by the National Development Council (NDC) a few days ago, outlines a number of initiatives which will make this possible," he said.

Besides agriculture, he said the areas of equal concerns were energy security, sanitation and provision of safe drinking water.

He also said that international collaboration was vital for increasingly resource-intensive modern science to progress.

The congress was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Science and Technology minister S Jaipal Reddy, West Bengal governor and a host of nobel laureates and scientists.

The Prime Minister, who called for a holistic organisational approach, said, "There was a time when science took a lonely road, driven by individual enterprise rather than collective effort. This is sub-optimal in the innovation and knowledge-intensive world that was empowering the growth process today."

He stressed on the need for cross-fertilisation of disciplines and synergy among stakeholders, saying government-sponsored research must be supplemented by research in private labs.

Taking note that the government has taken some policy measures in this direction, Singh said, "We have encouraged sharing of and access to Government-owned data for research. We have also created new mechanisms like Innovation Complexes, Technology Business Incubator and Innovation Universities in an effort to bring about convergence of interests among the various players in science."

He said international collaboration was vital for increasingly resource-intensive modern science to progress. Economic liberalisation and economic growth over the last several years had made it possible for scientists to collaborate meaningfully and confidently in the international arena, Singh said.

He cited two outstanding examples like significant Indian collaboration with the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) on the Large Hadron Collider, which led to the discovery of what is believed to be the elusive Higgs Boson particle.

The other example was India's work with a select group of countries on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, he said.

Singh said, "We must partner not only with established leaders in science and technology, but also with emerging innovation powerhouses, many of them in our region. We must also offer our expertise to our neighbours for collective prosperity and progress".

He said the quality of the country's scientific institutions would depend upon the quality of the students it could attract into science.

"We must select only the best and we must expand our search to the many Indian scientists abroad who may wish to return to India at least for some years".

He pointed out that the solution of even the simplest of problems related to humanityâ€™s pressing needs often required first-rate fundamental research.

"During the last eight years, we have tried to fill this gap by expanding the infrastructure of our scientific research and innovation," he said.

Giving examples, he said five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, 16 new Central Universities, 10 new National Institutes of Technology, six new R&D institutions in biotechnology and five institutions in other branches were established.

PM says transformation of the agricultural sector should be the top priority of the country's public policies

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