Finance Minister P Chidambaram today stressed the need for creating an "enabling environment" where knowledge workers are accorded the highest respect and recognition in the country.He said the country could aspire to be a knowledge centre only when its knowledge workers like researchers, scientists and teachers were held in high esteem.Delivering the keynote address at Bio 2007, a three-day biotech event here, he said the critical need of the hour is human resources. Though the states may spend on primary and secondary education, real breakthroughs are achieved by persons who have access to higher education and have the opportunity to conduct research.The value of teachers, researchers and scientists could not be undermined in a country that is hoping to grow as a knowledge society, he noted.Both the government and private sector need to build the quality of human resources by ensuring that they are retained in the country and also weaned back to India from abroad, he said.Speaking about Bangalore he said that after being known as the IT capital of the country, it should now aspire to become the knowledge capital of India.
