Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu 75th Republic Day of India excerpts on STI in India

Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu delivered her speech on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day of India. The complete text of the President’s speech can be found here. In this blog, we curate excerpts of the speech that are relevant to Science, Technology, and Innovation in India:

"It was also the year when India went to the moon, becoming the first to land on the lunar south pole region. After Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Research Organisation rolled out a solar mission as well. Recently, Aditya L1 was successfully put into the halo orbit. We began the new year with the launch of our first X-ray Polarimeter Satellite called XPoSat which will study space mysteries like black holes. Many more space missions are planned in the current calendar year. I am happy to add that India's space journey is slated to cross new milestones. Preparations for the Gaganyaan mission, our first human spaceflight programme, are proceeding smoothly. We have always been proud of our scientists and technology experts, but now they are aiming far higher than before and delivering too. India's space programme is aimed at expanding and deepening the role of science and technology for the benefit of the entire humanity. The amount of enthusiasm we see in the country for the ISRO's initiatives is heartening. New achievements in this area have fired the imagination of the young generation. More children, I am sure, will become interested in science and cultivate a scientific temper. It will also inspire more youngsters, especially young women, to pursue careers in science and technology.”

“The period of Amrit Kaal is also going to be the period of unprecedented technological changes. Technological advances like Artificial Intelligence and machine learning have moved from headlines into our daily lives at a breathtaking speed. There are numerous areas of concern in the foreseeable future, but there are also exciting opportunities ahead, especially for the youth. They are exploring new frontiers. We need to do all we can to remove hurdles from their path and let them unleash their full potential. What they want is equality of opportunity. What they want is not the same old rhetoric of equality, but the realisation of our cherished ideal of equality.”