PM Modi to inaugurate Science Conclave in Ahmedabad on September 10
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the two-day Gujarat Science Conclave of State Science & Technology (S&T) Ministers at Science City Ahmedabad on 10th September 2022. With the assistance of the Center, the conclave will examine state-specific innovations and technologies for adoption and scaling up.
‘Vision 2047’ for the S&T sector
According to the Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the broad theme of the conclave will be to present a ‘Vision 2047’ for the S&T sector, with particular reference to meeting the challenges and needs of states revolving around it, as well as a future growth pathway and vision for Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in states.
The Minister asserted that cooperation with various S&T departments of the Centre would enable a broad mapping of the priorities, difficulties, expectations, and technological requirements of each of the states. He informed that “Doubling Private Sector investment in R&D by 2030” and supplementing the country’s and state’s overall economy will also be a key agenda of the Science Conclave in tune with the Atmanirbhar pitch of the Central Government.
The Minister stated that the six science departments—DST, DBT, CSIR, MoES, DAE, and DoS—can collaborate with the States/UTs for the best results. He added that representatives from all of these departments and the industry will attend the conclave.
Significant plenary sessions with state S&T ministers will be held on topics like:
-Clean energy for all, including S&T’s role in the Hydrogen mission
-Deep Sea Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and its relevance for the country’s future economy
-Innovation for producing portable drinking water including application of technologies like Desalination, and Heli borne methods developed by DST
-Digital healthcare for all and
-Synergizing science with National Education Policy
According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, a special meeting of CEOs from more than 100 startups and business leaders will look at state-specific solutions to problems that are specific to each state. The Minister pledged full support from all six science departments to any potential start-ups that were willing to collaborate with state governments with funding from all stakeholders.
The Minister said that the two-day Science and Technology Conclave will take on a new dimension as a number of action-oriented decisions will be made and all States and UTs will be asked to have their own STI policies that follow the National STI policy.
He also stated that a strong and long-term centre-state coordination and monitoring mechanism in STI at the highest level will be established, and will together cooperate to promote private sector involvement in state research and development.