Scientists have social responsibility, says Harsh Vardhan

Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday called upon scientists to focus their research on finding solutions to people's problems.

"One should work with enthusiasm and every scientist should pursue his dream. I think science research should address the problems and hardships that people are facing in their daily life. I want to emphasise that researchers and scientists have scientific social responsibility," the Minister said here.

He also said there is a need for application-based research in science and technology in India.

"One must think out of the box and try to diagnose the problems of people. We should focus on research related to people-centric issues and try to bring the outcome in a time bound manner. Scientists need to be socially committed," he said.

Harsh Vardhan laid the foundation stone for Syama Prasad Mookherjee Advanced Research and Training (SMART) at the Centre of Indian Association for Cultivation of Science, the oldest research institute of its kind in India.

The SMART campus would host an international Centre for Fundamental Research and Technology, which will be a multi-disciplinary initiative to promote cutting edge research in various fundamental, engineering and medical sciences.

The first phase of the campus construction was estimated to cost Rs 350 crore and is expected to be completed by March, 2020.

Hailing the progress in scientific fields across India, the Minister said the country is among top 10 scientific nations and it aspired to be among the top three scientific nations by 2030.

According to him, India ranked third in the field of nanotechnology, with scientific publications in India growing at 14 per cent as against the global average of around four per cent.

In terms of research on oceanographic studies, alert on weather, cyclone, tsunami, the country ranked fourth globally, after the US, the UK and Japan, the Minister said.

During the past four years, a synergy has been brought among scientific institutions for collaborative efforts, instead of remaining isolated, Harsh Vardhan said, adding science can find solutions to several fundamental problems.

--IANS

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