Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate 99th Indian Science Congress at the KIIT University campus here tomorrow.
The university is organizing the event, which will continue till January 7th, jointly with National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) and Indian Science Congress Association.
Security has been beefed up in and around the city keeping in view Singh’s visit and police have conducted mock drills on the main streets to provide safe passage to the prime minister’s cavalcade to the meeting venue.
The five day long extravaganza (November 3-7) will see a congregation of more than 15,000 scientists, including 15 nobel laureates. The state had earlier hosted Indian Science Congress twice in the past- the first one being the 49th congress at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack in 1962 and then the 64th congress at Utkal University, Bhubaneswar in 1977.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam will inaugurate Children’s Science Congress on January 4 while India’s Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao, would kick off the Women’s Science Congress on January 5. The theme for the 99th Indian Science Congress is “Science and Technology for Inclusive Innovation- Role of Women”.
The event will comprise technical sessions, plenary sessions, vision talks, panel discussions, public lectures, children science congress and women science congress.
After attending the inaugural ceremony, Singh is scheduled to visit the state Congress Bhawan to meet the members of Pradesh Congress Committee. He will be the second Prime Minister after late Indira Gandhi to visit the Congress Bhawan here.
