Address At The 34th Convocation Of South Gujarat University

NATION's JOURNEY FOR A DEVELOPED INDIA

I am indeed delighted to participate in the 34th Convocation of the South Gujarat University. I take this opportunity to congratulate the young graduates for their achievement. I greet the Vice Chancellor, Professors, teachers and staff for the excellent contribution in shaping young minds to contribute to the nation in multiple fields. I was thinking what message I can share with this gathering. The need of hour is: creating a vibrant environment in multi institutions for national development. I am convinced, in today's environment particularly our country, creative force of young minds need to be enlisted for national development. The topic of my address for this Convocation is: Nation's Journey for a Developed India. I am all the more thrilled to see the young assembled here who represent part of the 70% of the young population of the country. Any impossibility can be made possible only by sweat, creative thoughts and then performance. The areas that I will be discussing with you today are : Multiple technologies coming together and the results, India's technology base, the knowledge society transform into knowledge power, the mission leading to 'developed India' . How to achieve the mission of developed India will also be discussed.

I realise, this region has a tremendous core competence, particularly entreprenureship for diamond industry and abundant fruits and vegetables. In my convocation address I would like to discuss how important is the core competency, value addition and wealth generation, so that people below poverty line can be brought up. This morning, I visited the villages in the district of Valsad and Navsari to study the project of Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF). There I witnessed how core competence of that area, with technology addition can enrich rural life. Yesterday, I was in Mangalore region of Karnataka. What I had observed in Mangalore area was, that area has given dynamic leadership several important areas. The whole region is blossomed with education, healthcare centres and banking. It was possible because of the vision of Pai family and their mission has spread in many states and even abroad. Let us study the national strategies as an instrument towards progressing to developed India.

Our national strength

When I am in the midst of the young, I recall the recent technological scientific achievements in India. Self sufficiency in food production and reaching the capability of exporting food grain, India's capability to build geo synchronous launch vehicle to put communication satellite in geo synchronous orbit, capability in strategic missile reaching the target, and thermal, hydro electric and nuclear power stations pumping to the grid about 100,000 MW power, architecture of Indian made super computer in position, our technical academic institutions bringing credit to the nation, our young entrepreneurs making a change in business culture and instrumental for GDP growth through software development. You all know we had missile technology control regime, Non-NPT against development of missiles and nuclear systems in 1998 when India tested nuclear weapon and declared itself as a nuclear weapon state, there was economic sanctions from developed countries. This situation was effectively and successfully combated with food security and industrial capability and self reliance in certain strategic areas. The nation has all the potential of technology capabilities that various institutions have built in and performing sometimes as a stand-alone computer. What we need, to have mega performance is collaborative computing. Likewise, what we need for the nation, to transform into 'developed India' is technological consortium with a vision and leadership, strategy and empowerment at various stages.

Results of integrated multiple technologies

I witnessed an experiment that I would like to share with you when I was at Hyderabad. I was in a hall at the CARE Hospital. The hall was full of medical doctors, communication engineers, computer scientists, software experts and industry chiefs. The whole place has been geared for a telemedicine experiment. A patient was tested, in a far off place from Hyderabad, for ECG, liver functioning in real-time. The hall almost turned into an electronic hospital. We could see the doctors and the patients interaction. Record the ECG data with high resolution, we could witness the liver functioning of patients, doctors consultations, the grade of performance, status of ECG and the interesting part is the patient's cooperation with scientists and doctors. It was an experience for me as a person from non-medical field, how tele medicine brought together engineering and medical science and patient irrespective of distance through satellite communication, software and data compression and video and audio integrated. Telemedicine is one area which will take advanced medical technology to the rural villages and give a connectivity between primary health centres, area hospitals, district hospitals and specialty hospitals at capital cities. I would say, that the future technology cannot be functioning alone. It has to be integrated with medicine, it has to be integrated with agriculture, it has to be integrated with communication, and above all it has to be integrated with the people and their need like societal and transparent management.

Significance of knowledge society

India is a nation endowed with natural and competitive advantages as also certain distinctive competencies. But these are scattered in isolated pockets and the awareness on these is inadequate. During the last century the world has undergone a change from agriculture society, where natural labour was the critical factor, to industrial society where the management of technology, capital and labour provided the competitive advantage. In the 21st century, a new society is emerging where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. Efficient utilisation of this existing knowledge can create comprehensive wealth of the nation in the form of better health, education, infrastructure and other social indicators.

Such a knowledge society has two very important components driven by societal transformation and wealth generation. The societal transformation is on education, healthcare, agriculture and governance. These will lead to employment generation, high productivity and rural prosperity. How do we do that?

The wealth generation is a very important task for the nation, which has to be woven around national competencies. The task team has identified core areas that will spearhead our march towards knowledge society. The areas are: Information Technology, bio-technology, weather forecasting, disaster management, tele-medicine and tele-education, technologies to produce native knowledge products, service sector and Infotainment which is the emerging area resulting from convergence of Information and entertainment. These core technologies, fortunately, can be interwoven by IT. IT took off only due to enterprising spirit of the young. Thus there are multiple technologies and management structure that have to work together to generate knowledge society. It has to be recognised that the difference between an IT-driven society and a knowledge-driven society is the role of multiple technology growth engines. Using IT, the great integrator of technologies, these multiple technologies can be interwoven to realise a knowledge-propelled society. With India carving a niche for itself in Information Technology, the country is hence uniquely placed to fully capitalise the opportunity to quickly transform into a knowledge society. The methodology of wealth generation in these core areas and to be able to meet an export target set at 50 billion dollars by the year 2008, especially in IT sector is subject of discussion, while simultaneously developing capability to generate Information Technology products worth 30 billion dollars domestically to pump in for societal transformation.

Knowledge super power

India becoming a super power by 2010 is a very important mission for the nation. While a knowledge society has a two-dimensional objective of societal transformation and wealth generation, a third dimension emerges when India has to transform to a knowledge superpower. The hard-earned wealth and the transformed society, which are two pillars on which the knowledge society is supported, have to be protected in order to sustain a knowledge society. The knowledge protection is the third dimension to the objective. The knowledge superpower status brings in its wake a tremendous responsibility to strengthen Intellectual Property Rights and protect the vast biological and microbial resources. Our ancient knowledge and culture should be protected against multiple attacks launched through business or culture or media. Thus a knowledge superpower has two important aspects namely - economic prosperity and national security. It is very important, that our communication network and information generators have to be protected from electronic attacks through surveillance/monitoring and building technologies to handle such attacks. Thus the core requirement for knowledge protection is two-fold. There should be a focussed approach to Intellectual Property Rights and related issues and major private sector initiatives have to be launched in the area of technology generation for information protection.

Necessary ingredients for knowledge society

One of the important ingredients for a knowledge society is competitiveness that requires innovative systems, in turn demands consortium or cluster of multiple institutions. The cluster consists of interdependent firms interactive on one side bridging institutions consisting of think tanks and technical consultancy and the other side knowledge providing institutions like universities, colleges, R&D labs and technology providing firms. The dominant institutions of clusters are the actuators - users or the customers. With this background of knowledge society, let me come to the main theme of our talk -transforming India into a developed nation.

Competitiveness powers knowledge intensity of the nation

The indices of world competitiveness are based on the global competitiveness report prepared by the world Economic Forum. The forum has defined competitiveness as " the ability of a national economy to achieve sustained high rates of economic growth". As per this definition ranking of different countries as of April 2001, according to the forum, are: USA[1], Singapore[2], Hong Kong[6], Australia[11], Taiwan[18], China[33] and India[41]. The world competitiveness is therefore decided by a triangular combination consisting of progressiveness of industry, technology push and status of governmental deregulation, all working in unison. Technology-led industrial growth can be sustained only through establishing an innovation system. It is through the process of innovation that knowledge is converted into wealth. Further, innovation is an important factor for the competitiveness of both service and manufacturing sectors and hence the urgent need to put in place an innovation system. Such a system would involve network of firms, knowledge-producing institutions, bridging institutions and customers/users in a value addition-creating production chain. With such a consortium, the innovation system would tap into the growing stock of global knowledge, assimilate and adapt it to local needs and finally create new knowledge and technology. India must evolve such systems to improve its competitiveness in a global marketplace.

Five Mega Projects to transform the nation to Developed Country

We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for an integrated action. (1) Agriculture and food processing - we have to put a target of doubling the present production of food and agricultural products. Other areas of agriculture and agro food processing would bring prosperity to rural people and speed up the economic growth. (2) Reliable and quality electric power for all parts of the country. (3) Education and Healthcare - we have seen, based on the experience, education and healthcare are inter related. For example, Kerala with education and better healthcare can bring down the population growth and provide improvements in quality of life of the people. Similarly, in Tamil Nadu also we have seen the downward growth of population resulting from a unique system of "mid-day meal" coupled with education. Studies about Andhra Pradesh also have different facets. These experiences, we feel, should be taken and spread in big states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Beginning of agricultural prosperity through better yields in these States will help this process. (4) Information Technology - This is one of our core competence. We believe, this area can be used to promote education in remote areas and also to create national wealth. (5) Strategic sectors - This area, fortunately, witnessed the growth in nuclear technology, space technology and defence technology.

These five areas are closely inter-related and culminate in 30 IMM 2020 missions leading to national food and economic security. A strong partnership among the R&D, academy, Industry and the community as a whole with the Government departments will be essential to accomplish the vision.

Certain missions on agriculture and agro food, road construction and transportation equipment, textile machinery, health care equipments and higher general and technical education have already been launched in the year 2000-01. Recognizing the pace, quality and progress of these missions, the Finance Minister in his budget speech delivered on 28th February 2001 has given tax incentives to industries for investments under IMM 2020 and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India is evolving the implementation strategies. The industries and corporates must take full advantage of this offer from the Government and participate in the mission programmes towards India's transition to a developed country.

Technology and value addition

We have to work hard in Value addition techniques in our manufacturing industries, core competency of skilled manpower, raw materials, capital equipment that need up gradation. A Movement, methodology for value addition has to be given thrust.

Concluding remarks

The next 20 years period, I consider, is a period of technology transformation in India. I anticipate new emerging economic situations. There is a possibility of India becoming a knowledge society with focussed tool of Information Technology and entrepreneurial push. Also we have to be prepared for a new trend as in the case of Internet with minimum Government initiatives and support and entrepreneurship push the project. Internationally, Internet is wealth generating system and its development are supported by many business houses and academics. In our country such things are also happening as in the case of Internet, software, pharmaceuticals and road transportation.

I have worked with ISRO and DRDO for two decades each. Recently in multiple areas including industry. The vision leaders ignite multiple minds and mission takes shape. Then the mission takes over. For example, India should build its first satellite launch vehicle to orbit a satellite or the first IRBM has to be built and operationalised, are mission statements which have transformed into system products many a time. But, a few times failures have also become products. Technology and management were the driving forces. Also, one very important component for success is that the organisation creates capable people because the mission trigger capability. Organisation works and nation gives thrust to the mission.

I can see a virtual image of India, the children by 2020 will not see the high illiteracy, poverty and social differentiation. They will see a new India. Our children will sing the song of prosperous India if we sweat in this decade. Today, the Indian mind has to get ignited by our second vision for the nation. The ignited human mind is the most powerful resource on the earth, under the earth and above the earth.

My best wishes to you.