PM panel on science and technology innovation identifies nine national missions

A high-powered advisory panel formed by the Modi government has identified nine national missions, including applications of artificial intelligence, that aim to address major scientific challenges to ensure India's sustainable development, a senior official said Wednesday.

The Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) aims to facilitate, through its missions, collaboration to solve complex problems.

"The nine national missions aim to understand and conserve our bio-diversity and develop sustainable processes, leverage precision health for personal wellbeing, recover wealth from waste, develop and use artificial intelligence, quantum computing, connected mobility solutions and other technologies to address frontier scientific questions and our challenges, thereby enabling sustainable development for India and the planet," the official said.

In a press interaction here, the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the government K Vijay Raghvan shared details of the nine national missions.

Raghvan, who heads the council, said science and technology is the fulcrum for the levers of government to effect social and economic change.

"For this, scientists and society must connect closely, build stronger foundations in education, fundamental research, applications in agriculture, health, environment, energy," he said.

The PSA's office held four meetings of the PM-STIAC beginning October 2018 and key national missions emerged from the discussions and are being driven by the Office of the PSA, said Raghvan.

Each mission will be led by a lead ministry and will engage international and national institutional partners, young scientists and industry, he said.