Bhubaneswar, Mar 1 (Representative) India will be a thought leader in science and technology, Atma Nirbhar in all sectors, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr P K Mishra said on Friday. Addressing the students, faculty, and staff of Kalinga Institute of Information Technology here, Mishra said the “National Education Policy 2020 will create a second-to-none education system in India by 2040 with equitable access to the highest-quality education”. He said India should achieve the status of a developed country while caring for both nature and culture by adopting and implementing technology. Touching upon the concept of women leading India’s development and the Sankalp of Viksit Bharat, the Principal Secretary said that the economy will be even more inclusive and innovative when corruption, casteism, and communalism have no place in our national life.
He stated that the coinciding of the growth of the youngsters with that of the country will create a wonderful synergy if both are aligned with each other. In this context, Mishra mentioned the recently launched ‘Voice of Youth’ initiative which is a platform for the youth to contribute their ideas to the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. He urged the young minds to think in this direction and play an active role in the growth story of India during the Amrit Kaal. Throwing light on the implementation of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister informed about the total budget of Rs 50,000 crores for five years out of which a major share is estimated to come from non-government sources. “ANRF will seed, grow, and promote R& D and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, and research institutions by forging collaborations among the industry, academia, and government departments and research institutions”, he said.
He said Kalinga Institutes will have a significant role when the financial assistance is combined with the Government’s commitment to pay utmost attention to making the eastern region a powerful driver of India’s growth story. The government, he said, is attempting to broaden the base of the institutions undertaking research projects beyond IITs and IISc. “Touching upon the field of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, big data analytics that are taking the world by storm, the Principal Secretary emphasized the need to keep pace and stay ahead of the curve.