Indian Economy News

Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh urged the Indian diaspora scientists abroad to engage with India; says, the Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship programme introduced recently by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi is a step in this direction

Addressing the International Ministerial meeting of Joint 8th Mission Innovation Ministerial (MI-8) and 14th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM-14), attended by delegates from about 30 countries from across the world, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh urged the Indian diaspora scientists abroad to engage with India.

The minister also stated that the Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship programme, recently announced by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, is a step in this direction. Outstanding scientists and engineers of Indian descent (NRI/OCI/PIO) who are working on research projects in their respective nations will get the fellowship. The 75 chosen fellows would be given the opportunity to work in 18 different knowledge verticals, including, but not limited to, quantum technology, energy, and material sciences.

Touching upon global concerns, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, this decade must see major innovation efforts for new technologies to be in the market to meet various climate goals. He further underlined that the world today is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before and to create resilience, there should be more collaborations among countries to develop universal solutions that can be adapted to large sets of countries to make them affordable.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the Mission Innovation (MI) and International Solar Alliance, led by our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, were announced at COP21 in 2015 when world leaders gathered in Paris to commit the ambitious efforts to combat climate change. About 30 countries' worth of delegates attended the joint 8th Mission Innovation Ministerial (MI-8) and 14th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM-14) meeting in Goa.

He informed the attendees that the term "Mission Innovation" was created by India's Prime Minister and that the United Nations had awarded him the 2018 Champions of Earth Award for his Policy Leadership and trailblazing work in championing and promoting new levels of cooperation on environmental action and clean energy initiatives.

The delegates were informed by Dr. Jitendra Singh that Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi's commitment to clean energy is continuously reflected in his vision, which was outlined in the form of Panchamrit at COP26, and India's targets for climate action, including achieving a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030; meeting 50% of its energy needs with renewable energy by 2030; reducing CO2 emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030; reducing carbon intensity below 45% by 2030.

He further stated that our current initiatives and efforts are the nation's testimony to driving clean energy at an accelerated pace and enhancing global and private-sector participation.

According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, India has seen a tremendous increase in the value chain for research and innovation as well as the promotion of entrepreneurship and creativity in young people, as seen by the Start-Up ecosystem's rapid expansion. Over 88,000 start-ups have been created since there were only about 350 or so in 2014. A measure of India's quick ascent up the STI (Science, Technology, and Innovation) ladder is the fact that India is also home to 107 unicorns, 23 of which only came into being last year.

The Minister concluded by saying that achieving a cleaner and healthier future requires the unwavering focus of all governments, businesses, investors, and citizens.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.