Top priority should be accorded to the optimisation of science and technology as a tool in the interests of the public. The State’s science and technology minister Surendra Singh Negi said this at the inauguration of the 10th Uttarakhand State Science and Technology Congress (USSTC) 2015-16 organised at the Vigyan Dham campus of the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) in Dehradun.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the minister said, “The traditional knowledge based on the centuries of experience should be linked with latest scientific knowledge to facilitate its effective utilisation in the present. There is also need for focus on purification of water sources and potable water quality. Another development that is required is the facilitation of technological enhancement of the agricultural activities undertaken by the women in the State’s mountainous regions,” said Negi. The opening of the regional science centre at the Vigyan Dham campus recently will also help in inculcating scientific attitude and raising awareness among students, teachers and members of the society, added the minister.
Delivering the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) plenary lecture on the occasion, noted biotechnologist and Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) director Paramveer Singh Ahuja spoke on the evolution of life on earth and the crucial role of innovations in the science and technology in development. Exhorting the public to work together to achieve the desired level of development in the nation, he said that this will also help the nation develop mathematicians, biologists, chemists and engineers among others. There is much scope for work in the newly emerging field of bio-economy, he added.
Addressing the gathering, Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) director MO Garg cited various examples while exhorting the researchers of Uttarakhand to focus on how research can serve society. The various renowned institutions situated in Uttarakhand could apply their minds together to come up with innovative ideas and make combined effort for the desired level of development, he suggested. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister’s advisor Indu Kumar Pandey motivated the young scientists to work towards bring the laboratory to the ground level.
Earlier, welcoming the gathering, UCOST director general Rajendra Dobhal stated that researchers from various educational institutions cross Uttarakhand are participating in the science congress this year.
The inaugural session also saw presentation of the science and technology excellence awards to noted scientists Professor RD Gaur in the field of plant sciences, Dr BR Arora in the field of earth sciences and Professor SP Singh in the field of environmental sciences. NASI’s best science teacher awards were also presented to Sameer Dhingra of Welham’s boys school and assistant teacher Santosh Singh Negi from Kotdwar.
Being organised in collaboration with University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun and NASI, Uttarakhand Chapter, the main objective of the science congress is to provide a platform for the State’s young scientists and researchers to get acquainted with latest scientific developments and present their research papers before the science fraternity.