India should become independent in energy by 2030: Kalam

Mumbai, Sep 5 (UNI) Former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam today urged that India should strive to become an independent country in the energy sector by the end of 2030 as 'Self Reliance' was the promising fruit for every state.

Mr Kalam made this observation to a gathering of students and faculty members at the launch of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.

The former president reminded how the West and other developed countries had deprived India of technological assistance time and again and specially post-nuclear tests of 1998. ''It is for this very reason India needs to become a self-reliant country technologically and energy wise,'' said Prof Kalam.

He said India's present nuclear power generation is 4,500 MW and it is expected that with the help of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Babha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the country will be able to generate 7,000 MW of nuclear power by 2010.

However, the scientific fraternity and the country should strive further to generate 24,000 MW of nuclear power by 2020 and 50,000 MW by 2030, he emphasised.

Dr Kalam said India's indigenous thorium-based nuclear power programme should be accelerated as the country was not short of thorium. Hence, the IIT-Bombay in collaboration with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) should build and put the thorium-based reactors programme on the fast track.

He reminded the students, research scholars and alumni of the elite institute that ''India has the best minds. The people and the government are with you, so continue your efforts to transform the country into an advanced state.'' In his Teachers Day message to the faculty members and other academicians, Prof Kalam said, ''As a teacher I am organised and conduct myself, so that my life itself is a message to the society.

Good habits displayed by teachers are always inculcated by pupils.'' Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Board of Governors (IIT) and the AEC, said the premier technical school has a global name, brand and image, and urged the students and research scholars to showcase the evolution of the institute and prepare a vision for the next 50 years.

On the occasion, Rahul Bajaj, Prof M G K Menon, Dr R Chidambaram, Dr V Kapur, Dr Homi Sethna, Prof Sukhatme and Prof De, all former chairmans of the Board of Governors, IIT were felicitated. While eight faculty members were presented with awards for their excellent contribution to the field of teaching.

The Computer Science and Engineering Department received the Dr P K Patwardhan Technical Development Award, initiated by the late academician's family.

UNI