The Hindu : National : ‘Use scientifically modified seeds’

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‘Use scientifically modified seeds’

Staff Reporter

KOLKATA: Former President and renowned scientist, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam emphasised on the development of agricultural science to tackle the problem of low productivity in agriculture.

“We have 170 million hectares of agricultural land and last year’s production was only 200 million tonnes,” Mr. Kalam said here on Saturday, while addressing the inaugural function of the State Science Fair, held to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of famous scientist Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose.

He said that new agricultural methods that use minimum water resources and use scientifically modified seeds, which have better productivity, should be developed.

Pointing out the useful aspects of nuclear science, Mr. Kalam said that since the country lacks uranium reserves, building thorium-based reactors is the greatest task for Indian nuclear scientists.

He advised students, who had come from schools across the city to participate in the programme, to be creative, courageous and righteous. “India needs such scientific minds to lead the country for greater sustainable development.”

Interesting speech

Mr.Kalam made his speech interesting and enjoyable to the young crowd by constantly interacting with them in course of his speech.

“Creativity and knowledge are the words that define the great works of Jagadish Chandra Bose. But it requires hard work and perseverance to gather knowledge and succeed…If you carry knowledge, you can go to the Moon, Mars and discover anything,” he said.

During the interactive session with students, which followed the speech, identified corruption as the greatest evil in the country’s path of development and urged the students to take action against it by stopping their parents from committing it.

“When there is righteousness in heart, there is beauty in character, harmony in home, order in nation and peace in the world,” he said.

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