Thaindian News

Kolkata, June 2 (IANS) The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) in its centenary year will bring out inspirational video documentaries and a publication on 100 Indian science discoveries to attract the country’s youth to science and technology, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here Saturday.

“To motivate young learners, the association will bring out inspirational video documentaries highlighting the history of modern science. We will bring out a well-researched publication on 100 high impact — making discoveries in Indian Science during the last 100 years,” said the prime minister, who was last year elected the general president of ISCA in its centenary year.

Over the course of the year, the government hoped to formulate a new Science and Technology Policy that will update the existing policy document of 2003 in the light of a rapidly changing scientific environment in the country and the world.

The association in addition to its annual session in Kolkata will hold three regional science congresses in the north, west and south of the country.

Special sessions on the use of high technology, renewable energy and public health challenges like malnutrition will be held, emphasising on themes that relate science to integrated rural development.

“We will also launch a Hall of Fame in cyberspace to portray globally the contribution of Indian science,” the prime minister said.

The prime minister proposed that the technical programmes of the Indian Science Congress in Kolkata in January 2013 begin with a special lecture in honour of Ashutosh Mukherjee, who personified the national science movement, that took shape a hundred years ago.

Singh said there was a proposal to set up a a Science Academy for the Young during the centenary year and it would be followed up after due deliberations.

The ISCA centenary session in Kolkata next year will also invite outstanding young scientists under the age of 45 to give lectures to the youth, while a special session will be held for young scientists.

Starting from this year, a special scheme for 100 doctoral research fellowships annually will be launched under a Public Private Partnership between Ministry of Science & Technology and the Confederation of Indian Industries.

To promote science in India’s neighbourhood, the ICSA was considering a proposal to introduce a scheme to invite 25 young scientists from the neighbouring countries to undertake doctoral research in India.

The prime minister hoped the centenary events will be used by the scientific community to ponder on framing a science and technology policy that “reflects our aspiration for making science a spearhead of development in our country”.

The association also aims to increase its financial strength and develop its infrastructure.

“I am happy that efforts are being made to rejuvenate the Indian Science Congress Association through additional building infrastructure and are source mobilisation drive to create a corpus of Rs.150 crore on the occasion of its Centenary Year,” added Singh.