India well-poised to reboot economy through Science & Technology, says Harsh Vardhan

The minister also talked about the `COVID-19 Task Force` set up by the Government to map the COVID-19 related technology capabilities.

New Delhi: The Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan on Monday (May 11, 2020) said that India’s fight against the COVID-19 is moving fast ahead strongly and steadily. He was addressing a Digital Conference, RE-START – ‘Reboot the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations’, organised to celebrate the National Technology Day here.

The Conference was organised by the Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

While applauding the Ministry of Science & Technology’s response to epidemics like COVID in the country, Harsh Vardhan emphasized that the S&T response reflects the collaborative spirit of the entire S&T ecosystem.

He said, “Indian Government, academia, scientists, startups, entrepreneurs, and industry have been working relentlessly to find solutions to combat this pandemic. We must appreciate the efforts of our scientists, our entrepreneurs, and our institutions working to find quick and deployable solutions for COVID-19. New discoveries, industry partnerships, and enhanced researches have thus, been rapidly developed and adopted.”

“Within a short period of time, the nation has been able to mobilize a number of researchers to develop new testing kits, protective equipment, respiratory devices, etc”, he added.

The minister also apprised the audience about the ‘COVID-19 Task Force’ set up by the Government to map the COVID-19 related technology capabilities. “Our Government has vigorously supported the ‘Make in India’ Programme. This has brought in scientific institutions and startups to develop the Covid-19 tests, masks, sanitizers, personal protective equipment (PPEs), and ventilators,” he further added. 

On the theme for the National Technology Day this year, Harsh Vardhan pointed out, “We need to mitigate the widespread economic impact and prepare for a stronger recovery using self-reliance as the new mantra. Thus, we look towards new opportunities to galvanize growth in the technological and industrial sector.”  

Harsh Vardhan also inaugurated a virtual exposition of companies whose technologies have been supported by TDB. Various organizations and companies showcased their products in the exposition through a digital B2B lounge.

The conference has hence, brought together Scientists, Technocrats, Government officials, Diplomats, WHO officials and dignitaries from national and international Industry, Research Institutions and Academic Institutions on a single platform to share their insights on the role played by S & T in the global healthcare crisis and to find solutions to address the current challenge.  

The conference will have technical sessions on ‘Medicines & Medical Technologies’, ‘Advanced Materials – New Technology Horizons’, ‘Advanced Manufacturing Technologies for Sustainable Future & Global Innovation’, and ‘Technology Alliance for Global Economic Leadership’.