The Prime Minister called for using science to uplift the poor and transform the agriculture sector

Inaugurating the 100th Session of the Indian Science Congress, the President said : “We should also emerge as a major knowledge power with high human and societal values. Let me mention in this regard that it has been 83 long years since CV Raman won the Nobel Prize for Physics. Another Nobel Prize in the sciences is long overdue for India. I call upon scientific fraternity gathered here to rise up to this challenge and work towards this goal in a time bound manner.”

Urging the scientists to work for shaping the future in which oriental and occidental values co-exist, President Mukherjee said : “I would like to call upon the scientific community to work for the promotion of a scientific culture for shaping our future in which prosperity and peace, excellence and equity and oriental values and occidental methods of science converge and co-exist. India is expected to emerge as a major economic power by 2035.”

The President paid tributes to foreign scientists who worked in India and subsequently got Nobel Prize. He also paid tributes to Indian Nobel Laureates and scientists of repute who put efforts in making major discoveries and innovations.

The STI Policy released by the Prime Minister seeks to send a signal to the Indian scientific community, both in the private and public domain, that science, technology and innovation should focus on faster, sustainable and inclusive development of the people. The policy seeks to focus on both STI for people and people for STI. It aims to bring all the benefits of Science, Technology & Innovation to the national development and sustainable and more inclusive growth. It seeks the right sizing of the gross expenditure on research and development by encouraging and incentivizing private sector participation in R&D, technology and innovation activities.

The policy also seeks to trigger an ecosystem for innovative abilities to flourish by leveraging partnerships among diverse stakeholders and by encouraging and facilitating enterprises to invest in innovations. It also seeks to bring in mechanisms for achieving gender parity in STI activities and gaining global competitiveness in select technological areas through international cooperation and alliances. The policy goal is to accelerate the pace of discovery, diffusion and delivery of science led solutions for serving the aspirational goals of India for faster, sustainable and inclusive growth. A Strong and viable Science, Research and Innovation system for High Technology led path for India (SRISHTI) are the goal for the STI policy.

It may be noted, in context, In 1983, the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi had announced the Technology Policy Statement (TPS) at the Indian Science Congress. It focused on the need to attain technological competence and self-reliance. Several of the statements of TPS were implemented.

Subsequently, a Science and Technology Policy (STP) was announced in 2003, seeking to bring science and technology (S&T) together. It basically called for integrating programmes of socio-economic sectors with the national R&D system and the creation of a national innovation system. The world has changed vastly since then in all spheres of human activity. New paradigms of innovation have emerged, arising, among others, out of the pervasive intrusion of internet and globalization. Even then systems that foster innovation have become country and context specific.

India has declared 2010-20 as the “Decade of Innovation.”India's demographics have changed significantly too. The youthful populations have high expectations and aspirations of the nation. The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STI) 2013 approved by the Union Cabinet is in furtherance of this declaration and aims to bring perspectives to bear on Science & Technology led innovations in the changing context.