Address At The Inauguration Of Golden Jubilee Celebrations Of Manipal Academy Of Higher Education And Interaction

Power of the Ignited Minds

I am indeed delighted to inaugurate the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Manipal Academy of Higher Education and address the students and Faculty. Manipal which is considered as the hub of higher education particularly, Medical education and Engineering is a blessed town. I am very happy to be in the midst of this young gathering and to share with you some of my thoughts and experiences.

Integration of multi knowledge sources

Friends, as an introduction to my talk, I would like to highlight how knowledge is multi dimensional, based on some of our own experiences. Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) was clamped when I was busy in the missile programme, in 1980s. We had to necessarily indigenise a number of materials like electronic and structural material and various systems. During this phase, we needed delta ferrite free austenite stainless steel for specific applications. At that time,I had the opportunity to meet a famous Cardiologist, Dr Soma Raju, CARE Foundation, Hyderabad.

I shared with him my concerns. He suggested that I must see the angiography and angioplasty process. I saw the angiography and angioplasty process in the monitor, where I witnessed two arteries blocked and two stents are put through a cardiac catheter and a balloon fixed. After witnessing this process, Dr Soma Raju told me that each cardiac stent costs around Rs 80,000 to Rs 100,000 depending on the specific needs and it is imported. He mentioned, "missile induces pain in the heart, mind and body. But, I hope you have material that can be designed and configured as stent, so that a cost effective indigenous stent is available within the country to remove the pain". Our friendship intensified and in addition to my task, scientists at defence laboratories at Hyderabad along with Dr Soma Raju and my friend Arun entered into the design and development of cardiac stent. And the challenge was, how do you make it biocompatible? In three months time, we succeeded in developing a cardiac stent. Ofcourse the stent went through animal tests and also the ethics committee cleared. It was implanted to thousands of patients under the guidance of Dr Soma Raju. This stent was called the "K.S. stent" and has gone into production. Today KS Stents are implanted in thousands arteries and the KS stent has brought down the cost below Rs.10,000. This experience and knowledge has embedded in my heart because of the fact that how a critical material developed for a missile can remove the pain of human hearts, when medical science and material technology fused.

Stem Cell Research

The recent identification and characterization of progenitors with stem cell properties has opened new avenues that may be useful for treating functional impairments caused by the death of specific cell population. The stem cells may help restore functioning of certain defective organs, by repopulating or rescuing the damaged cells from further degeneration. There will be a revolution in the medical treatment for heart care, cancer, blindness and mentally challenged. It is essential to launch an integrated national stem cell research program.

Emerging evidence suggest that multi potential stem cells progenitors hold considerable promise. Therapeutic applications of ocular surface (limbal) and retinal (neural) stem cells have special appeal for the treatment of otherwise intractable inflammatory and incurable degenerative diseases of the eye. The novelty of the approach lies in harnessing the pleuri potential capacity of the adult limbal and bone marrow cells, and the ability to use the cultured cells from the same patient so as to avoid past treatment immunosuppressive therapy.

Challenge in Change and the need for second vision for the nation

Since our independence in 1947, in many aspects of life, improvement in literacy, agricultural products, strategic areas, certain small and large-scale industries took place. Also, the life expectancy has increased. We are capable to produce sufficient foodgrains , cereals and milk. Today, India has the capability to design, develop and lead to production strategic systems for national development and security. Also, we have seen in the ambient conditions the growth in the Information Technology; the country is progressing in a limited way in software business and in hardware we are yet to take off. When India was clamped with economic sanctions in 1998, after the nuclear tests, by developed world, we combated successfully. The tools were food security and self-reliance in most of the strategic areas and production capability in certain sectors of industry. Now more than fifty years have gone by and we are called as one of the hundreds of developing countries, in a distinct way a separation from G-8 countries. We have many challenges. We are a nation of billion people. Nearly 300 million people who are below the poverty line have to join the mainstream of a good life. 100% literacy, health for all, multiple industrial and agricultural productivity and life style with value system has to change. Where do we stand in the competitive world?

Knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour

A knowledge society can be one of the foundations for such a vision for the nation: Developed India. Knowledge has many forms and it is available at many places. Knowledge has always been the prime mover of prosperity and power. The acquisition of knowledge has therefore been the thrust area through out the world and sharing the experience of knowledge is a unique culture of our country. 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 manual labour was the critical factor, to industrial society where the management of technology, capital and labour provided the competitive advantage. Then the information era was born, last decade, where connectivity and software products are driving the economy of a few nations. 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 and also improve the quality of life - in the form of better health, education, infrastructure and other social indicators. Ability to create and maintain the knowledge infrastructure, develop knowledge workers and enhance their productivity through creation, growth and exploitation of new knowledge will be the key factors in deciding the prosperity of this Knowledge Society. Whether a nation has arrived at a stage of knowledge society is judged by the way the country effectively deals with knowledge creation and knowledge deployment. I am glad that the task team of Planning Commission has taken a lead in generating a road map for transforming India to a knowledge society.

Knowledge Society Components

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, space 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 recognized that the difference between an IT-driven society and a knowledge-driven society is the role of multiple technology growth engines. With India carving a niche for itself in Information Technology, the country is hence uniquely placed to fully capitalize the opportunity to quickly transform into a knowledge society.

Evolution of policy and administrative procedures, changes in regulatory methods, identification of partners and most importantly creation of young and dynamic leaders are the components to be in place. In order to generate wealth, which is the second component for establishing a knowledge society, it is essential that simultaneously a citizen-centric approach to evolution of business policy, user-driven technology generation and intensified industry-lab-academy linkages have also to be established.

Second vision for the nation

The aspirations are mounting that India should become a developed country soon. This is the second vision for the nation. How we can prepare ourselves to this challenge? To become a developed India, the essential needs are:-

(a) India has to be economically and commercially powerful, at least to be one of the five top nations in terms of size of the economy. Our target should be a GDP growth of 9-11% annually and that the number of people below poverty line to be reduced to a negligible level.

(b) near self-reliance in defence needs of weapon and equipment with no umbilical attached to any outside world.

(c) India should have a right place in world forums.

Technology Vision 2020 is a pathway to realise this cherished mission. The Technology Vision 2020 consisted of 17 technology packages in the core sectors such as agriculture and food, healthcare, infrastructure and strategic industries. The Task Teams formed by TIFAC with nearly 500 experts of our country worked for two years, deliberated national status of various branches of national development and generated 25 documents detailing the steps to be taken for creating wealth for the nation and the well being of our people. A specialist team integrated these documents into integrated strategies for development leading to the birth of India Millennium Mission 2020 (IMM 2020).

Young in Developed India Mission

Developed India is no more a vision. The Prime Minister, on Independence Day, has announced that we will become a Developed India by 2020. The largest beneficiary of this dream when realized will be you, the young. Hence it is important that you contribute in its initial stages of realization and shape it to the best of your abilities with in your academic and family confines. The biggest concern of the parents and the children in your age group is about the job prospects when you complete your education. Without worrying about minor variations in the subjects of your pursuit, your opportunities and future will be brighter if you excel in whatever subject you undertake to study. At the frontier there are no borders. The employment opportunities are many, when a person becomes very selective like Government jobs, then there is tremendous constraints comes. If you open up your thoughts for entrepreneurship,design, industry, direct participation in agriculture with innovative ideas, making IT products etc. Most important thing for future young generation is to make up its mind to contribute in all sectors. The tool can be knowledge and physical contribution. In student life inspite of various constraints you can uniquely contribute for national development.

Five mega projects to transform the nation to a developed country

We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for an integrated action: (1) Agriculture and food processing (2) Reliable and quality electric power for all parts of the country (3) Education and Healthcare (4) Information Technology (5) Strategic sectors.

These five areas are closely inter-related and lead to national, food, economic and security. A strong partnership among the R&D, academy, industry, business and the community as a whole with the Government departments and agencies will be essential to accomplish the vision. The core to success is in various forms of connectivity.

We can do it

Freedom movement (1857-1947) was the first vision for the nation. This vision was realised in 90 years. It would have been a dream of an individual or collective groups. That dream transformed into thoughts which lead to revolutionary actions and finally resulted into freedom. Also, that period of independence movement created great leaders with great actions.

Vision for a 'developed India', as discussed, is the second vision for the nation. I would like you to hear a great mind's powerful call, few thousand years ago, that would inspire actions for the second vision for the nation. Maha Rishi Patanjali in Yoga SUTHRAS stated: "When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be".

That was a saintly saying to all of us. Friends, a nation is made great by the thoughts of its people and their action. The people in turn become important citizens of that great country. 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. All the more, this ambience will demand our cultural and traditional value system to be embedded in our societal growth.

Concluding remarks

I feel confident that 'developed India' is possible in 20 years' time. As India fought for its freedom in an integrated way from 1857-1947, the young have to be responsible for a movement for transforming 'developing India' into 'developed India'. It is possible only by hard work, sweat and creativity.

The second movement for the nation will definitely result if our nation proclaims the second vision - developed India by 2020. 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.