Youth
will give country momentum, says R. Chidambaram
The man behind
the Pokhran-II nuclear test and former director of Bhabha Atomic Research
Center (BARC), Rajagopala Chidambaram, on Friday said that India should not
hesitate in being the pioneer of new technologies, and that the youth will give
the country the momentum that it needs.
He was
addressing the youth on ‘Technologies for the Future’ at the Indian Institute
of Technology-Bombay’s (IIT-B) annual technology event ‘Techfest.’
“The world is
changing rapidly. Technology is changing from nuclear to rural. A research
development ecosystem is the need of the hour,” Dr. Chidambaram said.
The scientist
stressed the need for the country’s technological development to be
prioritised. “We need to make technological advancements specifically for our
country. We also need to have foresight apart from forecast. Foresight requires
forecast and assessment. We need to become a knowledge economy,” he said.
Rural reach
While praising
Indian scientists for their various achievements, Dr. Chidambaram raised the
issue of rural reach. “We have abundant knowledge, the problem is it is not
reaching rural areas. While a rural technology action group has been started,
we need more efforts on that front. We need e-connectivity for inclusivity and
knowledge sharing,” he said.
According to Dr.
Chidambaram, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are fast
emerging buzzwords in the present world. “AI and machine learning are
omnipresent. We now use them in flood forecasting in India. AI could be our
future, sure, but I don’t think it will overtake human intelligence,” he said.
“India is using
AI adequately. Things are beginning to happen, like IIT-Hyderabad runs an
M.Tech and B.Tech course in AI, but these people must also find suitable
applications where it can be used,” the physicist said.
Dr. Chidambaram
further said, “India should not hesitate to be the pioneer of new technologies.
The path to a knowledge-driven economy is paved by new advanced technologies.
Proven technologies, unless subjected to continuous evolutionary improvements,
are often synonymous to obsolete technologies. I am sure young people will give
momentum to the technology development that India wants. We will have failures,
but should not have multiple failures.”
Source: THE HINDU-20th December,2018
