“India’s 1.25 billion citizens have higher expectations about their future today than they have ever had before. People are much more aware of what is possible and they will settle for no less. Hence, the 12th Five Year Plan must rise to the challenge of meeting these high expectations,” K. Ramasamy, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, said in Coimbatore on Sunday.
Challenge
Delivering the graduation address of Karpagam Arts and Science College, he said that India was the second fastest growing economy in the world.
But as the pace of development increased rapidly, the country faced an increasing challenge to ensure that future growth was sustainable and inclusive.
“The XII Plan should be geared up to evolve a new science, technology and innovation policy to bring in more resources from both the public and private sectors for R&D for socially and strategically relevant projects and mainstream innovation-related activities with a focus on affordable and sustainable innovations. It should be ensured that science and technology becomes an integral component of the national developmental processes,” Mr. Ramasamy said.
R&D expenditure
It should be able to increase the number of full-time researchers / scientists from the current level of 1.54 lakh to 2.50 lakh, focus on doubling the number of patents and increase the commercialisation of patent portfolio to at least six per cent from the present two per cent, increase R&D expenditure to two per cent of the GDP, provide more flexibility to the younger generation of scientists to pursue their ideas and also mobility between industry, academia and R&D institutions, he added.
Decade of Innovation
Pointing out that India had declared 2010-20 as the Decade of Innovation, the Vice-Chancellor said there was a need for an Indian model of innovation that focused on affordability and inclusive growth that could be a model for emulation for countries facing similar challenges of sustainable development.
Degrees conferred
R. Vasanthakumar, Chancellor of Karpagam University, presided over the ceremony and conferred the degrees to 1,229 graduates, and 228 post-graduates.
