By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Pointing out that the “business as usual” attitude cannot continue, Prime Minister Manmonhan Singh Sunday told the Indian scientific community to come out with new solutions for inclusive and sustainable growth in healthcare, energy and urban infrastructure.
“Our government has declared 2010-20 as the decade of innovations. We cannot continue with business as usual,” Manmohan Singh said in his 25-minute inaugural address at the 97th edition of the Indian Science Congress (ISC 2010) here Sunday morning.
Noting that solutions from developed countries were not always applicable, as they were often too costly and at times non-sustainable, the prime minister said the country must develop an innovation eco-system to stimulate innovations.
“Innovators must be challenged to produce solutions society needs. Our scientific establishments must be central to the innovation eco-system, with industry, venture funds and regulators,” he noted.
In this context, the prime minister hinted at innovative policy re-adjustments to build vibrant public-private partnerships in the science and technology sector and increase private investment in research and development.
“Our elite institutions such as the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) must do more to address the technological challenges of the 21st century,” he pointed out.