‘Students should lead the nation’s technology revolution’

Young Indian women in science should focus on developing indigenous technology for self-sufficiency, says CSIR Director General.

Young Indians, especially women students who opt for higher education in science, should aim at developing indigenous technology to support the nation’s drive towards self-sufficiency, N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said on Thursday.

Ms. Kalaiselvi, who also holds additional charge as secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), was addressing students of the Shrimati Indira Gandhi College (SIGC) in Tiruchi as part of the institution’s Teachers’ Day programme.

Indigenous technology was the need of the hour in a conflict-driven world. “Over 90% of our basic requirements are dependent on imports; if there is a war and our supply is interrupted, what will we do? We have to develop ourselves. Our scientists have begun mapping our country’s natural resources, in order to become self-sufficient. If students are motivated to come up with indigenous technology, it would be a boon to our scientific community,” Dr. Kalaiselvi said.

She urged teachers to dedicate a few minutes each class to impart essential moral values, including the importance of contributing to the nation and supporting Indian-made products, saying that teaching such values can lead to a silent revolution in society.

“Parents and teachers must be inseparable in their commitment when it comes to growth of women. Educational institutions should be a safe and comfortable place to learn, to educate and also to understand the world,” she said.

SIGC chief executive officer K. Chandrasekharan and secretary K. Meena, spoke.

Earlier, Ms. Kalaiselvi attended Teachers’ Day celebrations organised by Indian Institute of Information Technology – Tiruchi (IIIT-T) on Thursday. She received the first copy of the Institute’s multilingual magazine Akiyam. Director N.V.S.N Sarma spoke.