India needs more quality research in science: PM

Kanpur: Pitching for greater collaboration between institutions like IITs and the corporate sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the country urgently needs to increase quality research in science and technology to meet newer challenges like climate change.

Addressing the convocation of IIT-Kanpur, he also said that the government has set in motion an ambitious programme to completely restructure the legal and regulatory environment of higher education.

Observing that science and technology played a dominant role in determining the power and progress of a nation, Singh said, "This role has become even more critical in the wake of newer challenges like climate change."

He said the country needed more innovation in areas like sustainable agriculture, affordable health care and energy security.

"India's strength in frugal engineering and extremely affordable innovations is becoming known internationally.

Indian scientists and engineers should leverage this strength to play a more prominent role in addressing problems that affect all countries of the world," he said.

Advocating greater collaboration between institutions like IITs and the corporate sector, he said, "This would be of mutual benefit to both- to the corporate sector it would mean cost effective solutions and newer technology while for the IITs it would bring much needed funds and enhance their research capabilities."

While noting that efforts have been made to expand higher education facilities on an unprecedented scale in the last five years, he said, "The issue of quality remains".

A major constraint was the availability of good faculty, he said, adding that a large number of bright students should be encouraged to join academics and IIT community must come together to evolve other innovative ways to address these issues.

The government would ensure that the IITs function with the required degree of autonomy and flexibility and that the genuine needs of the IIT faculty were met, he said.

The Prime Minister was also conferred degree of Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam and former prime minister Morarji Desai were among eminent personalities who received the honorary degree earlier.

The Prime Minister said the IITs should strive to be among the very best in science and technology institutes of the world.

"An obvious area of improvement is the quality of post graduate programmes. We need to strengthen the master and doctoral programmes in the IITs," he said.

He said bright students should be encouraged to opt for research and acquire PhD degrees.

A number of new IITs, IIMs, and IISERs have been started and more than 300 degree colleges have been opened in selected districts, he said adding government spending on higher education has been enhanced manifold.

Noting that the government has set in motion an ambitious programme to completely restructure the legal and regulatory environment of higher education, Singh said intensive consultations were on to set up the National Council for Higher Education and Research (NCHER).

"Several important bills have been introduced in the Parliament. These relate to accreditation, foreign universities, educational tribunals and unfair practices", the Prime Minister said.

A task force constituted by the HRD Ministry had earlier formulated a draft legislation for the establishment of the NCHER to promote the autonomy of higher educational institutions for free pursuit of knowledge and innovation and provide for comprehensive and holistic growth of higher education and research in a competitive global environment.

The Prime Minister said that the government has tried to ensure that science and technology formed strong pillars of its strategic alliances with other countries and establishment of IIT, Kanpur marked the beginning of cooperation between India and the United States in science and technology.

In the recently held meeting of Indo-US Science and Technology Joint Commission, several important decisions have been taken to take this cooperation rapidly forward, he said.

The government has also launched a joint initiative of seven IITs for the development of a management plan for the National Ganga River Basin, he said.

Crediting the IIT alumni with transforming the country's image, the Prime Minister said, "The alumni of the IIT system have done our country proud. The peaking of the careers of the early batches of the IITs has broadly coincided with the new recognition and respect with which the world views India today."

Singh also referred to association of IIT-Kanpur with a diverse range of projects in railways, water resources, energy and environment and said these would greatly benefit the country.

He said the government has launched a new initiative in solar energy to be executed jointly by three Central Ministries and IIT Kanpur which would explore new ways of storage of solar energy and its conversion into electricity.

Referring to the IIT-Kanpur's involvement in a project with the Railways, Singh said the development of zero discharge toilet technology was a wonder contribution not only to the railways but also to the shikaras of the Dal Lake in Srinagar.

"Similarly, the train tracking system that IIT-Kanpur has developed should improve the efficiency and safety of our railways", the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister also presented medals to five meritorious students of the institute.

He said the students should always bear in mind that the people of our country, which is still burdened with persistent poverty, hunger and disease, have party paid for their education and they should in some manner, however small it may be, give back to the society and the people who have nurtured them.