Atmanirbhar Bharat will be a beacon of hope for global community: Pradhan

New Delhi: Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday that an Atmanirbhar Bharat is a Bharat which does not only fulfill its own requirements but is also a beacon of hope for the global community, true to the spirit of 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbukam.' He appealed to the scientific community to Innovate for India (I4I) and create competitive advantage to make India Atmanirbhar (self-reliant). Speaking at the curtain raiser for the 6th India International Science Festival 2020, organised by the Ministries of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, Health & Family Welfare, he called upon scientists to create products and services which can compete with the best in the world. The theme of the event was 'Self-reliant India and Global Welfare.'

"Our scientific community has proven that when faced with challenges, their ingenuity have yielded innovative results. From space to agriculture, from medicines to oil, gas and steel, our scientists have made huge strides for being self-reliant as well as for global welfare," said Pradhan.

'COVID-19 has demonstrated we need to develop our institutional, industrial capacity'

Underlining the role of science and innovation in the development of any society, Pradhan said that the COVID-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated that we have to develop and strengthen our institutional and industrial capacity in scientific knowledge and innovation in all areas. 

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Pradhan said that India's efforts to achieve self-reliance cannot be yield results without the appropriate use of science and technology for economic development and societal benefit. Through a robust R&D ecosystem, we could develop state-of-the art products and services, make existing systems and processes more efficient. He appealed to the scientific community to integrate India's rich ancient legacy in advanced scientific concepts and mathematics with modern scientific methods of investigation, to unravel the secrets behind many of these practices and scientifically establish them.

Appreciating the scientific community for driving India's stride in various areas like space exploration, agriculture, pharma, Pradhan appealed to scientists to work even more towards solving real life industry and social problems.

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