Kalam cites 'Indica', says 'we can do it'

Friday, 14 May 2004, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Tuesday urged the people to imbibe the spirit of "we can do it" in the development of cutting edge technologies, and cited the success of the home-grown Indica car and the light combat aircraft (LCA). The scientist president, in an address to the nation on the occasion of Technology Day, noted that the country's dream of designing and developing an indigenous car had already been realised while the LCA developed by it had crossed the supersonic barrier. Kalam, who recently became the first president to address the nation to urge people to exercise their franchise in the national election, said that on Technology Day every year he proposed to share with the people the technological progress "signifying our national spirit of 'we can do it'". He focused on nine areas of technological progress the country had made with the "potential to penetrate into the economy and assist transformation of our society". "It was the dream of our nation to have a car designed, developed and manufactured by us, being driven in the roads of world capitals," Kalam said. He noted that Tata Company had made this dream come true though a "seminal national contribution" in the form of its Indica car. "It has not only attracted Indian car lovers but it has a demand in western markets too," Kalam said. He also referred to India's success in designing and building nuclear fast breeder reactors of 500 MW capacity and the development of a cryogenic engine to power the proposed geo-synchronous satellite launch vehicles. Kalam listed the country's other achievements in the fields of seed cotton productivity, electricity generation from municipal waste, mapping the neighbourhood by children on socio-economic and environmental issues, a synergy mission for environmental upgradation and a digital library in every village. Referring to the seed cotton productivity, he noted the textile industry was very important for the country's economy. Though India is the world's third largest producer of cotton, compared to the world average of 700 kg of seed cotton per acre, it produced only 350 kg. But a training programme launched in Nava Pind village in Punjab involving farmers, scientists, trainers and industry had boosted cotton production to 950 kg at reduced investment and increased return per hectare, he said. Kalam said the mounting garbage could be a rich source of energy and the potential of converting this waste into useable energy had been successfully experimented by two entrepreneurs in Hyderabad and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, generating 12MW of electricity each. The president said that the education system should emphasise the strengthening of creativity rather than learning by memory. "The essence of science and technology is embedded in two of the most fundamental impulses - the desire to discover and the desire to invent. It is vital that our education process nurtures and nourishes these two impulses," he said.
Source: IANS
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