To do science, someone must pay for it. We must increase our annual expenditure on science and technology to at least two per cent of our gross domestic product (GDP). This has to come from both government and industry. In countries such as South Korea, where a high percentage of the GDP goes to science, the contribution of industry is very significant. I am happy to say that our Department of Biotechnology has activated private public partnerships in R&D in biotechnology. I appeal to the corporate sector to join hands with the government.
A few years ago, at the Science Congress in Visakhapatnam, I announced a new scheme to attract talent into science studies and research. This scheme, known as INSPIRE, has today emerged as one of our government's most highly-acclaimed programmes. It has rewarded more than one million children and generated over 400 patent-grade innovations from our young Indians. A major research funding organisation, the National Science and Engineering Research Board, has just started functioning. This Board is managed by scientists and it has simplified funding procedures.
Some of our mission-oriented agencies have truly done us proud. This was evident most recently when our Geostationary Launch Vehicle, powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, soared majestically into space a month ago. I congratulate our scientists in the Indian Space Research Organisation for having mastered the technology of liquid hydrogen rocket engines. The launches of our Moon and Mars Missions are testimony to the giant strides we are now making in space.
India currently occupies an enviable position in the field of atomic energy and high-energy physics. Our nuclear scientists are attracting global interest in their effort to develop a Fast Breeder Reactor. I expect the prototype under construction in Kalpakkam to be completed this year. It will be a great day for Indian science and technology because we will be one of the few countries in the world with leadership in a completely new area of nuclear technology that can contribute non-polluting electrical power.
Our advances in meteorology were evident during the recent cyclone in Odisha, when we received accurate forecasts of the landfall point that were more accurate than the forecasts of well known international bodies. Our decision to set up a new Ministry of Earth Sciences following the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and to invest in world-class tsunami forewarning systems in 2007 has been amply rewarded. We now have the ability to issue alerts within 13 minutes of a tsunami-genic event. This has established India's scientific leadership in the Indian Ocean region. I would also like to see continuous improvement in our monsoon prediction capability through the recently launched Monsoon Mission, so that we avert the kind of calamities that we saw in Uttarakhand last year.
Recognising the role of scientific inputs for accessible and affordable health care programmes, our government has established a new department for Health Education and Research. Efforts to discover drugs for neglected diseases are beginning to bear fruit. A Rota Virus vaccine, a new drug for malaria and many other leads emanating from collaborative research are all reassuring developments.
In the last 10 years, several national missions have been launched in the emerging priority areas of electronics, electric mobility and solar energy. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has leveraged Open Source Innovation for discovery of drugs and found a lead for TB. CSIR has also ventured into the new world of data-intensive discovery and large data systems.
The Sixth Pay Commission has improved substantially the conditions of our academic and scientific personnel. International surveys have shown that India now scores well in terms of salary structures for scientific personnel. Our gross expenditure per full time R&D personnel is increasingly comparable in purchasing power parity terms to some of the most developed R&D systems of the world. We have also devised several ways of supporting young scientists as well as senior scientists in the last 10 years. The J C Bose and Ramanujan Fellowships are intended to ensure that science is attractive as a profession.
A new initiative is the institution of 25 Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowships, under which scientists anywhere abroad are invited to work in India for 12 months over a three year-period. The government has already selected the first five Fellows. They are M Vidyasagar, a distinguished computational biologist at the University of Texas; Srinivas Kulkarni, a distinguished astronomer at Caltech; Trevor Charles Platt, a distinguished geo-scientist at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada; Srinivasa Varadhan, a distinguished mathematical scientist at New York University and Azim Surani, a distinguished life scientist at the University of Cambridge. All of them are Fellows of the Royal Society and one is an Abel medallist.
I recognise, and we all recognise that the government must also focus on creating new opportunities for our bright scientists. To ensure food security and to improve land and water productivity, we have to launch a national drive for an ever-green revolution. While safety must be ensured, we should not succumb to unscientific prejudices against Bt crops.
Our government has invested in many areas to ensure that India remains at the cutting edge of science. I am happy to announce another National Mission on High Performance Computing with an outlay of Rs 4,500 crore. We are also considering establishment of a National Geographical Information System with an outlay of Rs 3,000 crore. A National Mission on Teaching to enhance the esteem of our teachers is also being launched.
I worry some time that science has not yet got its proper due in our value system. I would like science to be high in our value system, so that our entire society provides both moral and material support for its development. This is not only necessary because our future depends on it, but also because instilling a scientific attitude and temper in our population is essential for developing a progressive, rational and humane society.
Edited excerpts from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address at the 101st Indian Science Congress at Jammu, February 3, 2014
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