Think of coming back to India: Vardhan to NRI youth

Assuring a better future with scientific and technological facilities, Union minister of science and technology Harsh Vardhan today asked the vast diaspora engaged in cutting-edge research and innovation to return and contribute for India's progress.
"I would like to appeal to people like you and through you, our youth whose intellectual acumen is spread all over the world, to think of coming back to India. I can assure you that we have better scientific and technological facilities here now and a better future," Vardhan said addressing the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas here.
The minister, a qualified doctor, said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries are struggling to keep pace on innovation front, while in the USA, there was a dearth in the emergence of innovation-fuelled start-ups.

In contrast to that, 17 Indian companies, all founded by first generation entrepreneurs over the last 30 years, were invited at the prestigious World Economic Forum at Davos last year, he said.
Vardhan also quoted from a recent paper prepared by Brookings Institution, which said eight of the ten "STEM" (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) scientists in the world come from Indian cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vijaywada, Pune and Chennai.
"This is the difference that is happening," Vardhan said, reiterating his appeal.

On the opportunities front, Vardhan said India presents a very exciting proposition with tremendous opportunities for growth and also dwelled on the past, saying the country was once at the forefront of art, culture, medicine, economy and commerce.

Vardhan claimed that between the first and the 18th centuries, the country's GDP was the fastest growing in the world.
"We should revive the lost glory and make our future brighter than our glorious past," Vardhan said, adding that we should have a faith in our capabilities, capacities and country's resources.