PM to inaugurate Indian Science Congress Jan 3

Tuesday, 28 December 2004, 20:30 IST
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AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the 92nd session of the Indian Science Congress here on Jan 3 that will focus on health technology and its applications for the nation's development. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a renowned space scientist and a former scientific adviser to the defence minister, will also attend the congress on Jan 5 and interact with scientists. The city's Nirma University of Science and Technology, promoted by the Nirma group of companies, and the National institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) have joined hands to host the congress that will last till Jan 7. The theme of the meet will be "health technology as fulcrum of development for the nation". "The meet will consist of technical sessions, plenary sessions, vision talks, panel discussions, "Pride of India" expo, the children science congress and summit meeting," said N.V. Vasani, chief patron of the congress and vice chancellor of the Nirma University of Science & Technology. He added that the meet would also provide a platform to showcase the progress of science in the country of the recent past. N.K. Ganguly, general president of the congress who is also the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, said, "For the one billion strong populous country, the health care delivery system demands substantial raise in standards, in spite of considerable resources that have already been put in." "With the changing demographic pattern and life styles, the entire spectrum of healthcare issues face newer challenges. The harnessing of advanced health technology and its subtle application play a major role in addressing and resolving the emerging challenges. "By any yardstick the problems are daunting and need the collective wisdom to get a clear perspective and chart out action plan to deliver health for all," Ganguly noted. Plenary and panel discussions at the congress will focus on "Water for all", "Glory of Indian Science", "Opportunities and environment for building Indian science cadre", "Mathematics and biology: bridging the sciences" and "Interface sciences with technology and people". Invited speakers and participants at the congress will debate if India can be a global player in traditional medicine and achieve the status of a global pharma giant. The congress will also discuss ways to utilise space technology as well as opportunities for synergy and collaboration with other countries. This will be the third time that the city would be hosting the science congress after 1942 and 1978.
Source: IANS