Vice President lauds Indian scientists for work on COVID 19 vaccine
Vice President lauds Indian scientists for work on COVID 19 vaccine
New Delhi. Vice President of India, ShriM. Venkaiah Naidu today expressed
happiness that India was on the verge of releasing its own indigenous COVID
vaccine and complimented the scientists who have made this possible.
Addressing
the concluding session of the India International Science Festival from Hyderabad
through virtual mode, the Vice President also lauded the dedication of
scientists in making the country self-reliant in the production of PPEs and
Covid-19 testing kits.
Observing
that false information on the nature of the coronavirus, medication and the
vaccine has caused panic and anxiety among the people, Shri Naidu said that the
‘infodemic’ also reinforces the importance of scientific temper in our lives.
“It is not vaccines or drugs that can defeat the ‘infodemic’, but a rational
outlook among people’, he said.
Underlining that Indian
Constitution lists the development of scientific temper as one of the Fundamental
Duties, he said that if the people imbibed this temper, they can apply
scientific methodology to every endeavour of life and make informed decisions.
Referring to India’s
impeccable background in science, Vice President emphasised that even in the
field of science, India’s core philosophy has always been ‘share and care’ and
‘VasudaivaKutumbakam’. Mentioning that famed scientist, Shri JC Bose never
filed a single patent, the Vice President said that it is in the same spirit
that India has not only become the pharmaceutical hub of the world, but has
also been extensively sharing these life-saving drugs with the rest of the world.
Highlighting
the need to promote science education and inculcate the scientific temper from
a young age, Shri Naidu said that children have an inherent curiosity and how
we channelize that curiosity was very important. “Don’t push children to give
answers. Instead nudge them to ask
questions!”, he appealed to the parents and educators.
Calling
for an end to rote learning, he said that students should be encouraged to
‘discover’ rather than be ‘told’. He expressed happiness that there was an
exclusive event on toys and games in the science festival.
Noting
that December 25th is also the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister,
ShriAtalBihari Vajpayee and Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya , the Vice President opined
that the people must take inspiration from their lives. Wishing citizens a
Merry Christmas, he said that Christmas was a festival of peace and love and
that peace was as the prerequisite of progress. “We all should work for peace”,
Shri Naidu said.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr.Shekhar C Mande, Chairman, IISF-2020 and Director General, CSIR, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST), Dr.RenuSwarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Dr. M Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MOES), Dr. Vijay P Bhatkar, President, VijnanaBharati, ShriJayantSahastrabuddhe, National Organising Secretary, VijnanaBharati and Dr.RanjanaAggarwal, Chief Coordinator, IISF-2020, Director, CSIR-NISTADS and CSIR-NISCAIR were among the dignitaries who attended the virtual event
(India Science Wire)