The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Harness technology to uplift rural people: ISRO chief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 12, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Harness technology to uplift rural people: ISRO chief

Special Correspondent

— Photo: V. Ganesan

HONOUR: Mayil Vahanan Natarajan, Head, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MMC, receiving an honorary doctorate from Jeppiar, Chancellor of Sathyabama University (left), at the varsity’s convocation in Chennai on Wednesday. ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair is in the picture.

CHENNAI: Technological advances must be harnessed to enhance farm productivity and income, and provide alternative livelihoods to people in villages, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said here on Wednesday.

Delivering the convocation address at Sathyabama University, he said the share of agriculture in national income was falling rapidly, causing an agrarian crisis and migration to urban areas. These were leading to an inequitable growth in society and called for a multi-pronged approach with an investment in skill development and making newer grounds for assimilation of technologies.

Advances made by the country in information technology, biotechnology, nuclear technology and space technology were very impressive. Many were aware of the commercial and intellectual edge provided by young information technology specialists to India in the world market in the last decade.

The manufacturing industries had started making greater inroads into the world market.

He said the benefits of innovation must be shared with the less privileged section of the population.

Absorption of technological advances in rural India would create a more prosperous and equitable society with much larger beneficiaries at the grassroots.

Mr. Nair said he envisioned making the country the skills capital of the world to harness the opportunities offered by globalisation and technological advances. Skill development at the grassroots gave the socially and economically vulnerable population a chance to be part of the mainstream economy.

Skills building initiatives taken up by Central and State Governments and NGOs must succeed to make the people employable and ensure skilled manpower inside and outside of the country.

Along with committed NGOs, the ISRO recently launched a major initiative, known as Village Resource Centres. They were meant for effectively delivering a portfolio of services emanating from the space systems directly to the rural people, combined with the services provided by the NGOs.

More than 260 centres had been set up and they conducted 3,000 programmes that addressed agriculture and horticulture development, fisheries development, livestock development, water resources, tele-health care, women’s empowerment, supplementary education, computer literacy, microfinance, micro-credit, skill development and vocational training for livelihood support, Mr. Nair said.

Licence sought

More and more companies were coming to Sathyabama University for conducting campus interviews, said Chancellor Jeppiar. He appealed to Mr. Nair to provide a licence to the university for building a satellite with the help of students. He promised that the university would complete the work within a year and half. Mr. Nair agreed to consider the request.

The university conferred honorary doctorate degree on Mayil Vahanan Natarajan, Head, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Madras Medical College; S. Sathyaraj, actor; Deva, film music director; and M.B. Nirmal, founder of Exnora International.

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