Bangalore, June 07: Describing poverty as the country`s chief "enemy", President A P J Abdul Kalam today urged scientists and young researchers to fight it through breakthrough research in the country`s laboratories. Addressing scientists and the faculty of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for advanced scientific research at Jakkur on the city outskirts, Kalam said 260 million people lived below the poverty line and poverty was "our enemy". "Scientists must fight poverty through bio-science, Nano technology and other fields through the laboratories," he said, stressing their research would give prosperity and happiness to the nation. Emphasising on basic research, he said, "I would like to see industrial research start in basic science also."

He also noted that the science and technology policy announced by the union government early this year gave more freedom to science and technology.
Feeling at home among the scientists at the institute, he recalled the time he spent as part of the community and also had a word of advice for the scientists-- "not to be disheartened by failures which were sometimes part of research".
Kalam praised the work being done at the institute, which he called, a creation of eminent scientist C N R Rao and said its laboratories were remarkable.
Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi and Chief Minister S M Krishna were among those present on the occassion.
Bureau Report