PM for reverse brain drain of scientists

CHENNAI: In an effort to attract more youngsters into the sciences stream, prime minister Manmohan Singh has announced 2012-13 as the Year of Science.

“Science is ageless, but our scientists should be younger,” he said after inaugurating the 98th Indian Science Congress at the SRM University campus here.

He also pointed out that 2012-13, which is the centenary year of the Indian Science Congress would be called the ‘Year of Science in India’. Noting that there are more than 3.5 lakh students in the age group 10-27 who have been given scholarships to pursue science, the PM said that a lot of effort needs to be taken in order to motivate the new generation of growing scientific talent.

“I hope that the Year of Science in India will unleash the energies of our young scientists and inspire new generation minds to enter the world of science, cross new horizons and explore new possibilities,” he said.

He asked the scientists at the conclave to join hands with scientists of Indian origin abroad who are spread across the globe and bring them back to India to pursue their career.

“Whenever I travel abroad, I get to meet a lot of scientists of Indian origin. These scientists are very talented and they always tell me that one day they would like to work in India. But we need to discuss how to draw this talent pool,” he said.

Singh asked the scientists present at the venue to think about ways to retrieve India’s talent pool from the West. He also questioned on how our universities can be made more open to such talent. Talking about the innovations and scientific advancements that has happened in the country, he said that time has come where Indian scientists should start thinking big and out of the box.

“As we move into a decade of innovation, it’s time Indian scientists think big and out of the box. We should start producing more Ramans and Ramanujams,” he noted.

The prime minister also said that education plays a vital role in science and there is a need to provide better higher education. He pointed out that the government has established eight new Indian Institutes of Technology and five institutes of higher education and research. “The growth of our economy, and security of our people depends on scientific and technological competence,” he said.

Cautioning scientists on illiberal uses of technology, he said, “I sincerely believe we must guard against such tendencies, especially in India.” The prime minister also asked the scientists to find solutions to strengthen the university-industry relationships in order to enable conversion of outstanding scientific discoveries into marketable products.

“I would be happy and would like if the Science Congress comes out with recommendations that would help serve science better. Not only that the scientific community should give due recognition to scientists who strive hard to build advanced instruments,” he said.