Young minds must make use of evolving technology to find solutions to India's complex problems including climate change and energy needs, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said.
Noting that India spends huge money to pay its energy import bill as the country happens to be the world's third largest consumer of energy, the Petroleum and Natural Gas minister said this could be addressed by finding alternatives to fossil fuel and hydrocarbon.
Pradhan said this during an hour-long interaction on Sunday with participants at the 26th National Children's Science Congress (NCSC-2018) being held here.
"India does not have much fossil fuel but has coal deposits which could be used to generate power. Coal, at the same time, is the cause of much pollution which impacts the environment," he said asking the delegates to find the way.
If the country did not have to pay such huge energy import bills, the resources could have been utilised somewhere else for the benefit of the country, the minister said adding efforts were on to find solutions.
Pradhan said the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum at Dehradun had recently developed jet fuel from waste which could be successfully used to fly an aircraft from Dehradun to New Delhi.
The children, who are attending the NCSC-2018, hold the key to the future and the country looks forward to them to find solutions to its various energy needs, he said adding "my generation is waiting for you to come up with innovative ideas (to find solutions)."
"We don't have any idea as to what kind of jobs they would be," Pradhan, who is also the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship minister said adding "I don't know the future of job scenario."