Asking scientists to think “big” and “out of the box”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said the time has come to produce Ramans and Ramanujams and cross new horizons.
At the same time, he cautioned scientists on “illiberal” uses of technology and cited use of nuclear weapons, applications of synthetic chemistry in agriculture and in poison gases and “perverse use” of genetics in Nazi Germany to drive home his point.
“The time has come for Indian scientists to think big, think out of the box. The time has come to produce Ramans and Ramanujans as we usher in the decade of innovation,” he said inaugurating the 98th Indian Science Congress at the SRM University campus here. He was referring to eminent physicist and Nobel laureate C.V. Raman and renowned mathematician Srinavasa Ramanujam, both hailing from Tamil Nadu.
Dr Singh announced that the year 2012-13, the centenary of the Indian Science Congress, would be designated as the “Year of Science in India”.
“I sincerely hope the Year of Science in India will unleash the energies of our young scientists and inspire a new generation of Indians to enter the world of science, cross new horizons and explore new possibilities,” he said. Dr Singh also asked scientists to devise mechanisms to forge alliances with scientists of Indian-origin serving abroad and who look forward to return to their homeland to pursue their interests. —PTI