President Pranab Mukherjee today said the common man has not benefited from engineers "adequately" and called upon them to lead the way in shaping the country's future.
"You ask him (common man) further what role Indian engineers have in your life; he may get confused and search for an answer. This is because the achievements of Indian engineers have not adequately percolated down to the grassroots and the potential to impact the common man's life is yet to be fully exploited," he said after inaugurating the three-day Engineers' Conclave.
In India, Mukherjee said, a majority of people live in villages and there is need for specific technology innovation for rural areas.
One innovation that made a difference to their lives was about three decades back when wooden wheel was replaced by rubber tyres in a bullock carts, he said.
"It happened almost overnight from south to north and east to west and no one knows who championed it. It was technology simple to implement and helped increasing cart capacity many fold. Our country needs hundreds of such innovations that are simple and sustainable in a rural context," he said.
Rather than agriculture tools designed in the West, we need tools that are simple, repairable by local technicians and usable without electricity, he said.
Stressing the importance of engineering sector, Mukherjee said engineers contribute to the nation's technological and industrial progress and help improve living conditions for the common people.
"By virtue of our achievements in multiple fields, India stands poised to emerge as a leading nation in the 21st century. The innovation capability of our scientists and engineers will play a critical role in enabling India achieve this goal," he said.
