A.S. Kiran Kumar, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, has called upon educated youths to work towards evolving sustainable models of development.
Mr. Kumar was speaking at the 25th convocation of the Kuvempu University on the Jnana Sahyadri campus in Shankaraghatta, near here, on Thursday.
Although technological advancement has improved the quality of human life, it has polluted the environment. Air, land and water, considered sources of life, are being polluted. The increase in the emission of greenhouse gases has resulted in global warming and air pollution, and has disrupted marine life and our bio-diversity, he said.
Enhancement of industrial output should not result in degradation of the environment. The need of the hour is to adopt environment-friendly technology that is suitable for local conditions. It is necessary to make optimum use of renewable energy sources and adopt scientific environment management practices. Policy makers should take well-thought-out decisions in this regard. The present generation of engineers and researchers should comprehend the changing scenario and appropriately address the issues related to sustainable development, he said. Regarding the Mars Orbiter Mission of the ISRO, he said the success of the programme had brought in tremendous confidence among people from all walks of life in the country. He attributed the success of the project to team effort. Scientists at the ISRO had made judicious use of limited resources at their disposal and thereby achieved the defined goals, he said.
Universities should shoulder the responsibility of creating a talent pool for the use of industries. Institutions of higher learning should take up a proper study of the employment scenario and design their training programmes according to the requirements of the industry, he said.
Governor Vajubhai R. Vala presided over the programme. Vice-Chancellor Jogan Shankar and Registrar Mallika Ghanti were present.