New Delhi: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh Sunday said that Vision 2023 will define India at 2047, also because the year 2023 happens to be the first of the last 25 years or the last quarter of the calendar before independent India turns 100 at 2047 and realises its century dreams.
This is also the year, the Minister said, when India under PM Narendra Modi would have an opportunity to reiterate its stature in the international fora as the host of G20 as well as the nation on whose proposal the world is observing the International Year of Millets.
Departments dealing with Science and Technology have already outlined their focus and thrust areas for the year 2023, said Dr Jitendra Singh adding that our scientific achievements are going to have a huge bearing on India’s economy in subsequent years.
In a media interaction on the first day of the New Year, Dr Jitendra Singh said, “The future belongs to those who have innovative ideas and out-of-box goals, and have the conviction and courage to achieve the same.
The Minister emphasized that today we have a Prime Minister, who not only thinks out of the box, but also inspires 130 crore Indians to take decisions with courage and conviction.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s penchant for “Innovation”, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out to his Independence Day address, where he had said, “Till today we always remember our revered Lal Bahadur Shastri ji for his inspirational clarion call of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan meaning “Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer”. Later Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji added a new link of Jai Vigyan which meant “hail science” and we gave it utmost importance. But in this new phase Amrit Kaal, it is imperative to add jai anusandhaan that is “hail innovation”. “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jai Vigyan Jai Anusandhaan.”
Dr Jitendra Singh underlined that in the Centre –State Science Conclave held in September, 2022 also, Modi had highlighted that in order to make India a global center of research and innovation in this Amrit Kaal, we have to work on many fronts simultaneously and stressed the need to take science and technology-related research to the local level.
ISRO, after the opening up of Space Sector to private participants on the intervention of PM Modi, today has more than 100 StartUps in a short span of time. At the same time, its focus is on scientific exploration missions, Technology Demonstration missions and Human spaceflight programme “Gaganyan” which will land an Indian on the surface of Moon.
2023 will also witness further headway in the Blue Economy, said the Minister. Significantly, PM Modi referred to the Deep Ocean Mission twice in his Independence Day address, first in 2021 and then again in 2022, he added.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) would take forward the successes of COVID-19 vaccine mission by investing in improvement of vaccines for the existing and emerging diseases.
Significantly, major missions would also be launched on millets and patho-genomics of plant viruses in the International Year of Millets.
CSIR in 2023 will also focus on Green Hydrogen as it has already made a headway in Green Hydrogen indigenous as part of clean energy mission.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will focus on Deep Sea mission & technologies which will add value to India’s economy in the years to come.
Contributing to India’s Electoral Management, delivery of about 21.00 lakh equipment for the Election Commission of India which includes Ballot Units (BU), Control Units (CU) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be completed by ECIL by Sept/Oct 2023.