Kapil Sibal Stresses the Need to Use Technology to Benefit the Rural Masses

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal has stressed the need to use technology to benefit the rural masses. Addressing the inaugural session of Emerge Tech-2006, a conclave on emerging technologies in New Delhi today, he said, political and economic fortunes of India will be determined by the people at the bottom of the barrel. Describing nano technology as an emerging area, the Minister said it could provide effective and cheaper products by brining separate domains of information technology, chemistry, electronics, biomedicine, etc. in a single engineering paradigm. Observing that the world is moving in the direction of knowledge economy Shri Sibal said we have all the parameters to emerge a leader, such as the human resource, political will, technology, users of technology and the talent to innovate. But there are no adequate funds. He pointed out that countries like Germany, US, Japan and China are investing heavily in nano technology but India’s spending in this respect is much less. The Minister said that initiatives have been take to forge bilateral cooperation in R&D in nano science and technology with Germany, Japan, Canada and USA which may give a boost to our own R&D efforts.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is supplementing the efforts of leading Indian firms by building a formidable base of F&D in nano technology through the nano science and technology initiative for which there are plans to invest Rs. 1000 crore over the next five years. This years budget itself is Rs. 180 crores.

Source : Press Information Bureau
Date : September 28, 2006