Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Monday said children must inculcate a scientific temper for pursuing knowledge to contribute towards making India one of the most developed countries in the world.
Kalam, who reached here Monday, will inaugurate the Children's Science Congress at Jammu University Tuesday.
He said this during his interaction with students at the police auditorium here.
The former president was received at the Jammu airport by state ministers Raman Bhalla and Ajay Sadhotra besides some senior state government officials.
Kalam shared experiences of his earlier interactions with children. He drew examples from the lives of eminent scientists like S. Ramanujan, Albert Einstein and others.
Kalam said knowledge empowers people to undertake big missions. He asked youth to focus on issues like energy, water, agriculture, rural life, value system, etc. to build a strong country.
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He identified five areas - agriculture, health, industry, infrastructure and rural connectivity - which can lead the country to the state of a developed nation.
He stressed on improving electronic and knowledge connectivity between rural and urban areas.
During the interaction, Kalam answered the questions posed to him by the students. These included importance of teaching, digital divide, space medicine, India's 2020 mission, etc.