Use tech to sustain nature: Prez

Raipur, Nov 7 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today highlighted the need to deliberately think of employing technology for preserving and sustaining nature.

During an interactive session at the National Institute of Technology here, India's Missile Man was replying to a question by student Surabhi Tiwari, who sought to know ''whether there was a need to redefine the current paradigms of development and advancement as technological advancement and technological experts have damaged nature most.'' ''Technology is a double-edged weapon. It can be used for good purposes and also certain negative ends. For example, we can use nuclear energy for generating power but the same energy can also be used as a weapon,'' the renowned scientist pointed out.

Stating that we have to use technology for preserving and sustaining nature, the People's President said that instead of using fossil fuel, we should think in terms of using wind, solar and tidal energy. Similarly, we should maximise use of biodiesel and bioethanol.

In the construction sector, the president said, the concept of green buildings should be applied. In addition, technology must be put to use for converting waste into wealth, such as electricity generation from municipal waste and fly ash for construction of roads and as manure, he added.

Dr Kalam reiterated that there was a need for interlinking rivers for reducing flood damage and providing adequate water to drought-prone areas.

Another student Wali Mohammad Khan asked how the lack of confidence among the engineering students, from opting for entrepreneurship, could be overcome.

The president said that there was a need for a full-fledged entrepreneurship course of six months duration with award of diploma along with the regular degree course.

''The course's aim must be to inculcate the spirit of 'I can do it' in the student,'' he said adding that the course must provide case studies on success stories of entrepreneurs and train students about working with the banking system, particularly for venture capital operations.

Ms Swati K S asked about another green revolution and sought to know what should be done so that mistakes of the past were not repeated and a sustainable agriculture system benefical to the country, the farmer and ecology could emerge.

In his reply, Dr Kalam said that unlike the first Green Revolution the emphasis in the second was starting with soil to seeds to food grain to food processing and marketing. This value change would definitely be beneficial to the country, to the peasant and ecology as a whole, he felt.

Earlier in his address, the president spoke on ''evolution of an enlightned society'' throwing light on the aspects of evolution of an enlightened citizenship, religion transforming into spirituality and transformation of our nation into an economically-developed one.

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