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Published by the Press, Information & Culture Wing, Embassy of India |
Opinion: Warning from NATO Feature: Interview with Prime Minister Vajpayee
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TECHNOLOGY
DAY OBSERVED PRIME MINISTER'S CALL TO MAKE INDIA EMERGE TECHNOLOGICAL POWER IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM May 11, 1999 The Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has said that India's policy of pursuing peace from a position of strength-not weakness - has been vindicated and India now has a better atmosphere of peace and cooperation in the region than ever before. We have passed through this year of trial and test with our head held high, he said. Speaking at a function to observe the Technology Day the Prime Minister said that Pokharan not only brought strength to our national security but also became the symbol of a Resurgent India. Maintaining that national security and national development are inseparable from one another, the Prime Minister said that in the matter of national security and defence, we shall never make any compromises. Complimenting the Department of Science & Technology for unveiling two innovative schemes to attract talented youth and students towards science, he said, the greatest task before the country was to take India into the new century without dragging developmental burden of the previous centuries. Stressing the need to further strengthen the base of science and technology, he recounted that during the 13-month period, prior to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, his government had strived to give a major thrust to the development of information technology and brought in an important patent legislation to upgrade intellectual property laws in line with global norms. The Space programme had also proceeded well on schedule notching up greater successes in the past one year. The launch of INSAT 2-E, he said, had demonstrated that our scientists were second to none in the world. Reiterating Government's commitment to implement its unfinished agenda in science and technology, he asserted that there cannot be any intervals and interruptions in science and technology and exhorted scientists to work towards removing all impediments in India's march towards becoming a major technological power in the next century. The following is the text of the Prime Minister’s speech on the occasion: Exactly a year ago India made an important tryst with destiny in the desert sands of Rajasthan. Five nuclear tests at Pokharan, three on May 11 and two more on May 13, announced India's arrival on the world stage as a nuclear weapons power. But what was unleashed on that was not merely the energy of the atom. Pokharan also produced the power of patriotism and imparted it to all the 100 crore children of Mother India. Pokharan not only brought strength to our national security, but also self-confidence to our national mind. It became the symbol of a Resurgent India-an India ready to take on any challenge, external or internal, on the basis of self-reliance; a strong and prosperous India determined to regain her rightful place in the comity of nations. Pokharan reiterated our commitment to the goal of peace, both in South Asia and in the entire world. But it declared to the world that India would, from now onwards, pursue peace from a position of strength-not weakness. This principled policy of ours has been vindicated by the developments of the past year. We now have a better atmosphere of peace and cooperation in the region than ever before. The world community has seen that India, which is home to one-sixth of humanity, cannot be browbeaten or pressurized by any power. We have passed through this year of trial and test with our head held high. Economic sanctions failed to frighten us. Technology denials failed to threaten us. For this, I salute all sections of Indian society, but I especially congratulate the great community of Indian scientists. Friends, we have assembled here today both to commemorate Pokharan and, also, to rededicate ourselves to the goal of building a Resurgent India. It was nearly a year ago in this very auditorium, that my colleague Dr. Joshiji had suggested that, in view of the momentous accomplishment of May 11,1998, we commemorate it as Technology Day. I immediately agreed with his suggestion, and for obvious reasons. India has never considered military might to be the sole, or even the chief, source of a nation's strength and self-confidence. It is important to us for national security and defence, and we shall never make any compromises on this front. It is only when a nation is secure from all external and internal threats that it can successfully pursue its developmental goals. National security and national development are, hence, inseparable from one another. By commemorating May 11 as Technology Day, we recognize the invaluable contribution of science and technology to both security and development. It is this inter-linkage that we have sought to capture in the slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, which is only an extension of the inspiring motto coined by our beloved late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Pokharan is, thus, a tribute to the capacity, caliber, and dedication of our nuclear scientists, engineers, technicians, and, of course, jawans. On a broader plane, it is also an honour to all of India's achievements in science and technology-and these achievements are many and multiplying daily. A good example of these achievements is provided by the winners of Technology Day Awards. They deserve our felicitations specially for their success in finding appropriate technological solutions that directly benefit millions of common people in their daily life. India needs more and more people friendly technologies even as we advance rapidly in certain areas of scientific research. Friends, we are living in a fast-changing world. Both the speed and the scale of change are mind-boggling. Nothing has been contributing more to these rapid transformations than science and technology. Interestingly, nowhere is this process of change faster than in science and technology itself. To keep up with this change, to understand its dynamics, and to direct it for the fulfillment of the material, social, and cultural needs of humanity is the greatest challenge before all of us. It is as much a challenge before the scientific community as before governments and political and business leaders. We must admit, however, that we have still to go a long way to fulfill this task. This challenge is overtaking our collective ability to fix it. Many areas of science and technology have advanced so far ahead that they already dazzle us with a glimpse of the enormous possibilities lying in the womb of the new millennium. Yet, it is now certain that vast sections of the human race will enter the new century with problems that could have been easily solved with the scientific and technological knowledge of this century. Scientists say that the new century will see the advent of a knowledge driven society. Yet, millions of people in this society will still be condemned to live in the darkness of illiteracy, which is the greatest barrier to knowledge. It is said that the new century will witness spectacular progress in genetic engineering and big-technology, making new kinds of food and drinks available. Yet, it is certain that hunger and the problem of drinking water will persist for many people across the globe. It is said that Information Technology, which has already brought about revolutionary changes, will shrink the world into a Global Village. Yet, tens of thousands of villages have no proper connectivity even to the nearest town. Science and technology have proved themselves to be the greatest harbinger of prosperity. Yet, we have also seen how a troubling social and moral crisis clouds the material opulence of the rich in the world. This shows that Technology Day is not only about celebration of our successes. It is also a reminder of many of our glaring failures in achieving our developmental goals. The many faces of this paradox are visible in all the countries of the world. They are even more apparent in India. Therefore, how to take India into the new century without the dragging developmental burden of the previous centuries is the greatest task before us today. In my speech at the ceremony last year to present the Shantiswarup Bhatnagar Prizes, I had outlined a ten-point agenda to operationalise the motto of Jai Vigyan. I am happy to note that much progress has been made on many of those points since then. I cannot, however, overstate the need to continue to our unflinching efforts in this direction. There is no dearth of information on what needs to be done to strengthen the base of science and technology in India. The Technology Information, Forecasting, and Assessment Council (TIFAC) under the Department of Science and Technology has produced an exhaustive and excellent report on VISION 2020, covering practically all areas of development. Earlier, the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister had also presented a highly useful two-volume report on the agenda for the future. What is needed firm and focused action based on the recommendations contained in these and other reports. In the thirteen months prior to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, our Government tried to do precisely this. We gave a major thrust to the development of information technology, guided by our conviction that IT is, indeed, India's Tomorrow. We brought in an important patents legislation to upgrade our intellectual property laws in line with global norms. This, I am sure, will greatly encourage the creativity of Indian scientists, including the commercialization of their innovation. The success of the CSIR laboratories in patenting scores of their discoveries and inventions testifies to this fact. Our Space Programme has proceeded well on schedule, notching up greater successes in the past one year. The launch of INSAT 2-E has once again shown that, given the right policies and working conditions, our scientists will prove themselves to be second to none in the world. The new telecom policy unveiled recently is designed to bring all the benefits of the communication revolution to both urban and rural India. The draft Agriculture Policy, which we will soon present for a national debate, places great emphasis on scientific and technology inputs to increase productivity and profitability in our farm sector. Young scientists are the hope of our future. I compliment the Department of Science and Technology for unveiling two innovative schemes aimed at attracting talented youth and students to the adventure and excitement of science. I wish to reassure the nation today that the Government will continue to implement its unfinished agenda in science and technology. For example, the IT Task Force, under the chairmanship of Shri Jaswant Singh, has presented its second and third reports. These will soon be discussed and adopted. We have received very good reports on Knowledge Industries, Food and Agro Industries, and Infrastructure Development by the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry. The important recommendations of these reports need immediate implementation. This is also necessary to strengthen the partnership between the private sector and our vast R and D institutions. I urge the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Electronics, the Department of Biotechnology, and other Departments to continue to vigorously implement their ongoing programmes. There cannot be any intervals and interruptions in science and technology. Indeed, our scientific community deserves to be congratulated for making India's progress in science and technology immune to the ups and downs in politics. Today, on the occasion of Technology Day, let us take a pledge to act faster and work better. Let us remove all impediments in India's march to becoming a major Technological Power in the next century. Thank you." |
