"India should try to be global innovation leader: Chidambaram

Jaipur, Oct 7 (UNI) Nuclear scientist and principal scientific advisor to the Central government Dr R Chidambaram urged that India should strive to go beyond the objective of a 'developed nation' by aiming to become a global 'innovation leader'.

Dr Chidambaram opined this while delivering the second convocation address at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology here today.

Mr Chidambaram said India is now considered one of the hot-spots for innovation. ''Till some time back they (developed states) were talking only of China in the context of technology. Now they talk of China and India,'' he said.

Refering to an instance mentioned in the biography of renowned scientist Prof Chadrashekar where his biographer Kamaleshwar Wali puts a question to Chandashekar that how could India produced such world class scientists like C V Raman, and S N Bose in the 1920's. Prof Chandrashekar replied, ''In the 1920's there was need for self expression as a part of the national movement, to show to the West that, in their own realm, we are equal to them,'' he said.

Dr Chidambaram said, ''Today, 59 years after Independence, our motivation should be to make India a developed nation in the fullest sense of the term in the shortest possible time''.

He said in areas like atomic energy, space and IT software, the world no longer viewed India as a developing country. He said we could claim to be a developed nation when the quality of life in rural India becomes comparable to the quality of life in the non-urban areas of already developed countries.

Mr Sunil Arora, principal secretary to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was the guest of honour at the function. Chairman, Board of Governors Mukul Kasliwal and director Prof R P Dahiya spoke about the achievements and future plans of the institute.

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