New Delhi, Nov 16: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Thursday said India’s global supremacy will be determined by its scientific prowess. He said the recent twin achievements of Chandrayaan-3 and Covid vaccine have placed India’s scientific community at par with international benchmarks.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh was briefing the media about the upcoming 9th India International Science Festival (IISF) – 2023 to be held in Faridabad in January 2024.
Dr Jitendra said that in the last over 9 years under the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scientific breakthroughs have been used to bring ‘Ease of Living’ for the common man. He said IISF is an outreach festival for those who could benefit from Science, Technology and Innovation. The role of science & technology has permeated every aspect of our lives as almost all Ministries and Departments have STI applications for sectoral development, he added.
The union minister said whether it is the Roads, Railways, Smart City project, Telemedicine, Deep Sea Exploration, Ground Water Mapping, or Crop Imaging, the applications of S&T are quite visible to all. He said the science festival will be celebrated at three levels. “First, the number of success stories which have global implications, will be shared with key stakeholders like startups, industry bodies, innovators, researchers, students and the scientific community from India and abroad; second, we are on the same page now in major global scientific breakthroughs as the National Quantum Mission recently announced, is having the R&D with an elite league of six other countries,” he said.
The third reason the S&T Minister said is that India has set an example before the world that scientific research is meant for development purposes and more so, in the last almost ten years, almost all the Flagship Schemes have the footprint of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Speaking on the occasion, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said that IISF will kindle the spirit of entrepreneurship in our young people and will provide an opportunity to showcase the marvels of science around us through exhibitions and Startup conclave.
Secretary, DST, Dr Abhay Karandikar said that more than 10,000 school children will participate in IISF, apart from 500 young researchers who will deliberate on new initiatives and cutting-edge technologies. More than 100 Startups will exhibit their achievements and it is expected that over 12,000 delegates will be part of this grand event. The 9th edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023 will be held at Faridabad, Haryana from January 17th-20th, 2024.
