Jammu: Pitching for more funds to promote science, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the country's annual expenditure on science and technology should be at least two percent of the GDP.
"To do science, someone must pay for it. We must increase our annual expenditure on science and technology to at least 2 percent of GDP. This has to come from both government and industry.
"In countries such as South Korea, where a high percentage of the GDP goes to science, the contribution of industry is significant," Singh noted.
In his inaugural address at the 101st Indian Science Congress, the Prime Minister also said that India is joining the CERN, a premiere European Organisation for Nuclear Research, as an associate member.
"India will partner with international scientific community in establishment of the world's major R&D projects. In the Gravitational Wave Experiment, India intends to host the third detector. A Neutrino-based Observatory is proposed to be established in Tamil Nadu at a cost of about Rs 1450 crore. India is also joining the CERN as an associate member," Singh said.
Lauding Indian scientists working in the fields of atomic energy, space and earth science, the Prime Minister said India has occupied an "enviable position" in these fields.
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