President Ram Nath Kovind today called for encouraging participation of women in science in every way possible, saying if gender disparity was not addressed, scientific achievements would be "less than perfect and less than desirable".
Addressing the directors of IISc, IITs and IISERs in the concluding session of the meet, the president said the country was facing enormous challenges like ensuring people's health and well-being, lifting them out of poverty, or attaining food and energy security.
These institutes could play an important role, he said and suggested that the incubation centres could also help develop solutions to the problems experienced on a daily basis -- from pollution of natural resources to the traffic jams in rapidly expanding cities.
He stressed on collaboration between these institutes and said they should share ideas and pool resources. "Such a synergy would help you to better address some of the problems we face," he said.
The president said there is a need for promotion of the participation of girl students and of women in science and technology.
"If this disparity is not addressed, our scientific achievements will always be less than perfect and less than desirable. Two days from now, we shall be celebrating the International Women's Day. Let us re-dedicate ourselves to ensuring a higher participation of women in science," he said.
He said he was delighted to know that the Indian Institute of Technology was taking steps to improve gender ratio in enrolment for its B.Tech programmes and had set a goal of ensuring that by year 2020, 20 per cent of such students were women.
"This is huge task given that presently less than 10 per cent of B.Tech students in IITs are women. We must remember that none of our developmental goals have any meaning without gender parity and without equal opportunities for our daughters and girl-children," he said.
The president said these institutes of national importance had an important responsibility to ensure that research and developments in science and technology were linked to the needs of the country and its people.
"At the heart of a scientific endeavour is often a problem that the scientist wants to solve. It is important that challenges that confront our nation and our society become the prime instigator of their quest for knowledge, discovery and innovation," he said.
The president called upon the directors of 31 IISc, IITs and IISERs to discharge their key role as leadership mentors for the next generation of scientists.
"This would ensure that we have a ready talent pool of scientist-administrators who can conceive, establish and administer our scientific institutes," he said.
Among those who participated in the one-day meet were HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for HRD Satya Pal Singh, AICTE Chairman Anil D Sahasrabudhe, representatives of HRD Ministry, Finance Ministry and Department of Science and Technology.
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