PM seeks global action for sharing technology

New Delhi, Sept 26: Seeking global action to make cutting edge technology products available to Third World countries at affordable prices, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for a global intellectual property rights regime that promotes the interests of all nations, both rich and poor.

Taking note of the growing privatisation of science and technology in developed countries where MNCs generate know-how in areas like health care and energy, Dr Singh said the global community would need to draw a sympathetic balance between knowledge creation and its use by the people.

''The challenge before the world community is to find new pathways to sustain adequate incentives for the generation of new knowledge and simultaneously to make the fruits of this knowledge available at affordable prices to the poor countries. We need global action to harmonise these twin requirements,'' Dr Singh said while delivering the CSIR Foundation Day address on his 76th birthday.

The international system for the protection of intellectual property rights needs to be adequately sensitive to both these concerns, he said after presenting the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for science and technology to 13 young scientists from across the country.

Emphasising that advances in science and technology have made a powerful contribution to globalisation of the world economy, he said the challenge ahead is to ensure that the global economy is so managed that it promotes the interests of the rich as well as the poor countries.

He said it is the right time to evolve concerted strategies to make globalisation and the knowledge revolution, a win-win situation for the entire humankind.

India will be in the forefront of international efforts to find meaningful solutions to these global concerns, he added.

In a critical evaluation of India's own scientific progress, Dr Singh said countries like South Korea and China have made a march over India in research and development.

Also, the best minds in the country are not turning to science and those who do, do not remain there, he said hinting at reforms in school and college education.

The best of the teachers should be recruited in institutes of higher learning and the best minds should be engaged in providing solutions to the problems that can make a difference to the lives of the people, he said.

''Can you imagine the impact if we had a good vaccine for malaria? Can you imagine what impact a breakthrough on low cost fuel cells and photovolatics for decentralised power supply can have?'' he asked.

Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, CSIR Director General R A Mashelkar and senior scientists were among those who attended the Foundation Day function at the Vigyan Bhavan this morning.

UNI