India has little time to win race: Prof CNR

Visakhapatnam: India has little time to catch up with the developed world in terms of science and technology, or else lose the competition to fast moving China, South Korea and Japan, which reached very close to the United States, said well-known scientist and Bhara Ratna awardee Prof CNN Rao. He delivered GITAM Foundation lecture at GITAM University here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Rao said even Japan was worried about South Korea which has been making rapid strides. Blaming that there was no political will to develop science in the country, the scientist said in 70 years of Independence, India could not produce one world class science and technology institute.

Stating that India never spent more than one per cent of GDP on science and technology, Rao said Sout Korea spends four per cent of its GDP on science and eight per cent on education.

When P V Narsimha Rao was the HRD Minister, even I was helping him in writing the national policy for education, Narsimha Rao had said that six per cent of GDP should be spent on education, but when he became the Prime Minister, he had never remembered. He had allocated only two per cent,” Rao said.

Most of the funds were being spent on defence, space and high- end technology and very little was being spent on universities or institutes of higher learning. Rao quoted Dr CV Raman who said there was no application of science in the country.

He praised Rajiv Gandhi, who he said was very committed to spending on science and education. Unfortunately his life was cut short, he said and added that UPA II was fairly successful in understanding the problem and Manmohan Singh was very receptive, the senior scientist said.

Highlighting the importance of science in improving quality of life, Rao said the successive governments had failed in water management and as a result 50 per cent of India’s population was yet to get safe drinking water. Over 50 per cent of diseases is caused due to consumption of polluted water. Even in energy sector, too, the governments has failed.

The country needs four lakh MW of power in another five years and no serious efforts were being made to bridge the demand supply gap. Rao advised the students to be more committed to their education with integrity since science needed character of highest kind.

Earlier, president of GITAM University MVVS Murti felicitated him and his wife Indumati Rao presented him GITAM Foundation award which carried a citation and Rs 10 lakh cash.