PM Modi was addressing a gathering of recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged scientists to mould their research in accordance with the needs of the society and the economy, and pitched for inter-disciplinary research.
Addressing the recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for excellence in science and technology in New Delhi, he said the days of working in silos are over.
"The days of one person planting sapling and another watering it are over...cannot work in silos. Scientists and researchers should have an inter-disciplinary approach. Such an approach will help in finding faster and better solutions for various scientific questions," the prime minister said.
He said he had asked his principal scientific advisor to prepare a scheme in this regard.
"Your participation is a must," he told the gathering.
He said that in the coming days, data will be the "new fuel" and the country and the scientific community will have to accordingly invest in it.
The prime minister also pitched for having "local technology" to fulfil the needs of the people and the society.
"Science, technology and innovation should be connected with the aspirations and requirements of the society. He said that our scientific institutions should align with future requirements and try to find solutions for local problems," PM Modi said.
The prime minister asked the scientific community to take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and develop technologies that will make India a global hub of manufacturing, knowledge and technology based industries.
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science and Technology was instituted in 1957 in the memory of the late Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, the founder director of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR).
The SSB Prize is awarded every year on the basis of conspicuously important and outstanding contributions to human knowledge and progress, made through work done primarily in India during the five years, preceding the year of the prize.
The prize, comprising a citation, a cash award of five lakh rupees and a plaque is given to each person selected for the award in disciplines including Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Medical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Engineering Sciences and Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Science.