India on track to be world leader in scientific research

​New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday asserted that India is moving towards becoming the world leader in the field of scientific research.

“India is enviably placed among the top five nations in the field of space exploration. It is gradually inching towards becoming the leader in the field of scientific research,” Mukherjee said in his address at the National Technology Day celebrations.

He congratulated the entire community of Indian space scientists for their unique “Made in India” accomplishments. “ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 35th flight recently, successfully launched a 1,425 kg satellite into the orbit.

This was the seventh and the final satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System enabling us to enter an exclusive club of nations,” added the president.

He also emphasized that India must not rest on its laurels as the recent achievements should propel the country to further upgrade the existing technologies.

“With rapid changes occurring in science education and research, only those countries having a technological edge will emerge successful in the fiercely competitive global market,” Mukherjee said.

The president asserted that innovation is the antidote to stagnation. “The youth of our country are brimming with ideas and enterprise. They are harnessing technology to find solutions to day-to-day problems of the common man,” he said insisting, “Ingenuity aided by technology can bring substantial welfare benefits.”

“With an estimated 4,300 start-ups, India is the third largest start-up eco-system in the world today. A central feature in this ‘start-up movement’ is the greater involvement of our youth,” Mukherjee said.

“In fact, 72 percent of the start-up founders in India are below the age of 35 years. The combined might of this talented breed of new-age entrepreneurs is there to be tapped,” added the President.