President Pranab Mukherjee today lamented poor funding of research and development in the country which stood at a mere 0.8 per cent of GDP as compared to 3.6 per cent in Japan and 2.7 per cent in the US and said augmenting investment in research is the need of the hour.
Speaking to the 13 teachers from central institutions of higher learning who have been staying in Rashtrapati Bhavan under an in-Residence Programme from April 23 to 29, Mukherjee said he has been trying to find out as to how he can make his little contribution in raising the quality of education.
He said these teachers were "a truly talented and inspired lot who by their conviction, courage, knowledge and commitment to society had not only inspired themselves but were also igniting the potential of their students to help them make their contribution to the nation".
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"Emphasising on the importance of research and development, the President lamented that research and development expenditure as percentage of GDP is a mere 0.8 per cent in India.
"Compared to that, it is 3.6 per cent in Japan, 2.7 per cent in the US and 2.0 per cent in China. He said that augmenting investment in research is the need of the hour," a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
