“Thanks to science, post-Independent India has witnessed increased longevity and improved health. This is relevant to the fact that the highest allocation in the XII Five-Year Plan is expected to be in health and education,” T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), said in Coimbatore on Saturday.
Speaking at the Regional Science Congress of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), Coimbatore Chapter, at Kongunadu Arts and Science College, he said the role of DST in healthcare was improving.
“The years from 1981 to 2001 saw limited development of science and technology due to very less investment in basic sciences. This resulted in a phase of stagnation. From then on the situation has improved and the DST has many programmes / schemes, and is offering grants to attract students and teachers to science,” the Secretary said.
Inaugurating the congress, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam shared with students what science could offer them. “Science gives you a better vision because it can remove the mental blindfolds and challenge your brain to solve many scientific problems that are yet to be solved. You all belong to a science community that should stand for a culture of excellence.
This excellence is a process, where an individual or organisation or nation continuously strives to better oneself or itself,” Mr. Kalam said.
He urged them to focus on two important needs – to value science and to possess scientific magnanimity. Only by valuing science could people build science, he said.
Recognise
“We should possess the scientific magnanimity to recognise young achievers. This magnanimity will motivate the scientific community and nurture the spirit of achievement among the young towards science,” he added.
N. Sivasubramanian, former scientist, Indian Space Research Organisation, M. Aruchami, Convenor of Coimbatore Chapter of ISCA, and Vijay Laxmi Saxena, General Secretary (Scientific Activities), ISCA, spoke. The two-day congress would include special and public lectures by experts and a science exhibition for children.
