Kolkata: President Pratibha Patil on Monday said
that the importance of nations in the 21st century would be
judged not by economic strength alone, but the power to
conceptualise scientific inventions and bring benefits to the
people.
"A store of scientific knowledge can only be useful when
it is used for the betterment of the life of the people," she
said at a function to mark the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
of the Indian National Science Academy here.
"The quest for knowledge, however, is unending and
research for new discoveries must continue as we cope up with
change and new challenges which the world is facing today,"
Patil said.
Stating that the world was moving forward rapidly and
decisively into an era where societies and economies were
incrementally based on knowledge, she said this emphasised the
need for an education system which encouraged the study of
science among the younger generation.
For this, India has launched a 'second wave' of
investment in higher education with an expansion of facilities
and setting up of more institutions like IIT and central
universities, she said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, December 07, 2009, 15:15