New Delhi: Addressing the 25th Foundation Day of Technology Development Board, TDB as Chief Guest, the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh emphasized that TDB must reach out to young start-ups in a pro-active manner, rather than they approach for any support. He said, TDB must discover and nurture the start-up ecosystem for successful product developments.

Dr Jitendra Singh is the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, though there is no dearth of talented HR pool in the Country, the main challenge is to channelize it for evolving new paradigms. He said, the confidence of self-reliance will percolate down to the next generation and will help in attracting the best brains in the field of Science and Technology.

Referring to Prime Minister’s 75th Independence Day Speech, where he said, “We should not limit the occasion of 75 years of Indian independence to just one ceremony. We must lay the groundwork for new resolutions and move forward with new resolutions. Starting from here, the entire journey of the next 25 years, when we celebrate the centenary of Indian independence, marks the Amrit period of creation of a new India”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the roadmap for the next 25 years will be determined by scientific and technological innovations in all walks of life.

The event was graced by Dr. VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, Dr Shekhar C Mande, Secretary, DSIR and Director General, CSIR, and Board Member, TDB, Secretary DBT, Dr Renu Swarup, Rajesh Kumar Pathak, IP&TAFS, Secretary, TDB, Rajesh Jain, Director, Technology Development Board and Prof Ashutosh Sharma, former Secretary, Department of Science and Technology. Prof K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India participated through virtual medium. Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech and young entrepreneur Ms Akshata Kari, Co-founder and COO, Cocoslab Innovative Solution also addressed the event in person.

Lauding the role of TDB for its successful journey of 25 years, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the roadmap for next 25 years should be to make India a World Leader in emerging fields like Artificial Intelligence, Astronomy, Data Science, Solar Energy, Green Hydrogen, Semiconductor, Quantum Computing Climate Change mitigation technologies and Cyber Physical System as desired by Prime Minister for his New India Vision. The Minister also released the TDB journal on the occasion.

Referring to Prime Minister’s exhortation for use of Science and Technology for Societal benefits, Dr Jitendra Singh said, our founding fathers have envisaged this when Dr Bhabha announced to the world that India’s Nuclear Energy Programme will be for peaceful purposes. He said, Irradiation is very effective in treating agricultural produce to enhance its shelf life. Moreover, during peak COVID crisis Department of Atomic Energy developed the reusable PPE kits, he added.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Jitendra Singh said, India is emerging fast in every sphere of Science and Technology and remarked that Technology has entered every household in India. He said, the true success will be judged by helping majority of Indian Citizens to enjoy “Ease of Living”.

In his address, Dr VK Saraswat said, R&D ecosystem has changed in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now there is more focus on translational research and commercialisation. He said, there are more than 5,000 Start-ups working in India with nearly 50 of them headed by Women entrepreneurs. Dr Saraswat said, even Multinational Companies have started pitching up with funds for Indian Innovations and setting up R&D facilities in India, which he said is a welcome change.

“TDB continues to play a key role and has shown that new kind of innovation can be scaled in our ecosystem,” said Prof K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India.

Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology and Department of Biotechnology emphasised on the efforts of TDB for its crucial role in innovation ecosystem while Dr Shekhar C Mande, Secretary, DSIR and DG, CSIR and Board Member, TDB underlined the efforts and initiatives undertaken by TDB and their importance for India’s future. Prof Ashutosh Sharma, former Secretary, DST, highlighted the role of TDB in harnessing the new and emerging areas of science, technology and innovation for the benefit of society.