Innovative capabilities will determine economy's resilience: Ashwani Kumar

CHANDIGARH: India's standing in the world will depend upon its innovative capabilities which will also determine the competitiveness and resilience of the economy, said Union Minister of State for Planning, Science and Technology Ashwani Kumar today.

The minister underlined bio-technology, solar energy, supercomputing, robotics, aerospace, synthetic biology, molecular computing, regenerative medicine, genome sequencing, precision instrumentation, agronomics and material sciences as some of the areas where India must excel.

"The government will soon come out with concrete initiatives to ensure that scientists and researchers are gainfully employed and are offered conducive environment to carry on scientific research," he said during a meeting here with heads of leading scientific, technical and medical institutions located in Chandigarh and Punjab.

The minister exhorted the leaders of the scientific community to ensure that all collaborative and cooperative efforts between various organisations would lead to development and commercialisation of products and services that would favourably impact the quality of life of common man.

Stating Rs one lakh crore was likely to be allocated for science, technology and innovation in the 12th five-year plan, he said, efforts will also be made to raise expenditure on research and development to two per cent of GDP.