Turning Points (19 page)

1. Do you also keep monitoring whether the state governments do act as per your detailed development missions of the states? Is there an effective monitoring mechanism?

I have given the road map using the experience I had through my visits to the states, inputs from the Planning Commission, inputs from the state government and the central ministries and independent evaluation. My team had spent sleepless nights preparing the presentations. I emphasized that the development of the state is more important and the state is bigger than the political parties. Also, I allowed discussions on the missions by
the participating members. After my presentations, a number of state assemblies have conducted full-fledged sessions for discussing the implementation plan of the proposed missions. Also whenever I have visited the state later and addressed the universities, chambers of commerce and other business and service institutions, I have always referred to the missions and created linkages between the institutions and the missions of the state. For example, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar have taken follow-up action on all the missions and they are on the way to implementing them. In Kerala, the media also took the initiative and facilitated discussion with the government, intellectuals and other stakeholders. They have given an action plan for implementing the missions, thus, the media has become one of the partners of the state government. In the north-east, I gave the missions for Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. These states specially have to give attention to harvesting hydro power and networking of water bodies and action to prevent damage to agriculture produce during bamboo flowering.

2. Is your road map an addition to the planned development as laid down in the annual and five-year plans? Is there any conflict between the two?

When we were preparing the road map, we asked for details from all the ministries, state governments and also the Planning Commission. We took the development radar prepared by the Planning Commission on an eight-point criteria. Our aim was to improve on all the parameters of the development radar and to integrate all the developmental activities leading to accelerated realization of goals. The missions that we proposed were based on the core competence of the state and were complementary to the state plan and the five-year Plans of the Planning Commission.

What we gave is a long-term perspective for making the state a developed one before 2015, since it is developed states that will make India developed before 2020.

3. Your intellectual breadth and vision and hands-on experience with science and technology applications have played a major role in framing these road maps. But does it not project a challenge to your successors in this august office that you have been holding with such distinction?

I personally believe any good system, irrespective of the incumbents, it will survive. What I have found in the past four years, there is a general awakening in the country about economic development. There are also some good successes. That is one reason, I think, a number of state assemblies have given me an opportunity to discuss the development missions. When I started with one or two assemblies, other state assemblies also wanted me to come and address them. I therefore see that the Indian people, Indian political system have started believing in the concept of mission-oriented development programmes for national growth. It requires a road map and an action-oriented plan, which may be fine-tuned based on mid-course performance review.

I personally believe, the President’s Office has to have a professional team to generate the type of documents they prepared and presented to assemblies. Of course as you rightly pointed out it is a new initiative for the President’s Office and is a very purposeful national mission. Also, this provides an opportunity to the president to be in constant touch with the needs of the citizens.

4. Though the Constitution sets down the presidential powers and the government’s responsibilities, in the last four years have you found many areas of overlap, conflict
and grey areas in the relationship between the president and the prime minister?

The system is very good and resilient; it allows for plenty of opportunities to work together. When the tasks are executed keeping in mind the philosophy that the nation is bigger than any individual, there is no relationship problem. The two governors’ conferences show the type of integrated working by the president and the prime minister.

5. One such area where the differences came up in the public was the Office of Profit legislation. How did you react when the Bill you objected to was returned to you, forcing you to sign it irrespective of your better judgement?

The issues connected with the Office of Profit Bill are quite clear. The decision we took was in strict conformity to the constitutional provisions both in letter and spirit. You will notice that the further actions by both the Houses of Parliament in terms of formation of the JPC and the general mood of the people and political parties vindicated our stand. I signed the Bill only after the formation of the JPC for evolving the guidelines for the members of Parliament on the definition of office of profit.

6. In your favourite area of science and technology and your remarkable campaign to wake up young minds to the opportunities in science, what new steps should the government take, according to you?

a. The entire primary and secondary education requires a revamping in terms of making children creative. Of course, the Right to Education Bill passed by Parliament was under discussion in the state legislature. Eventually the Right to Education Act will lead to the provision of compulsory and free education to all the children in the nation in the age group 6 to 14.

b. Major reform is needed in primary education. The expert team on primary education has to evolve a creative syllabus, creative classroom and above all deploy trained creative teachers.

c. Science and technology should be oriented towards realizing the India 2020 missions.

d. The university curriculum must create capacities such as research and inquiry, creativity and innovation, use of high technology, entrepreneurship and moral leadership among the youth so that they can contribute fully for India 2020.

e. Special avenues should be created for induction of about 1,000 young students every year to pursue pure scientific research as their career goal. Then it needs a science cadre employment opportunity.

7. For instance, while the medical and engineering and management training colleges are choked with applicants, many basic science courses go without students. Should there be some policy shifts to encourage people to take up basic sciences and research?

As you may be aware the government has started the Institute of Science, Research and Education in two states. We also need to work progressively to create a global human resource cadre which will provide the youth either with higher education in science, technology and research or with state-of-the-art employable skills which will make the country internationally competitive. By 2050, I visualize 30 per cent of the Indian youth will have higher education progressively compared to 10 per cent as of now and the remaining 70 per cent will have high quality skills in industry, service sector and agriculture.

8. The laudable decision of the government to invest Rs 100 crore in the IISc to create world-class R&D and teaching institutions is seen by many scientists themselves as very
meagre to achieve such a large aim. MIT and Stanford have many times larger resources at their command. IISc says enough doctoral students are not turning up in its research sections.

This is one of the initiatives of the government. There are other initiatives by the government with other universities and colleges; also the funding requirement for improving the infrastructure can come from multiple sources. With the suggestions I have made on science cadre, I am sure a number of youth would like to pursue pure research.

9. Despite recent claims in our science labs that India has done world-class research in several cutting-edge areas like nanotechnology, biotechnology, carbon composites, metallurgy, etc. but so far in the last sixty years we have not won a single Nobel for work done in the country. The question arises whether we are really doing world-class research or whether our work goes unrecognized for other reasons. What is your view?

Most of the Nobel prizes go to fundamental research. Presently, bulk of the money given for basic research is diffused in divergent areas. We need to unleash creativity among young students to venture into path-breaking areas of scientific research and concentrate on a few specific areas instead of diffusing the effort in multiple directions. I would suggest focused research in convergence of technologies using nanotechnology, biotechnology and information technology. India has a potential to make a large impact. Universities and higher technology institutions have to have core competence in specific research areas and funding. As more research professors and scientists are nurtured by the university environment, more research students will be attracted. It will lead to innovative research results and
make an impact on indigenous technology. Some of the research may lead to award-winners. Here I would like to share an experience of how scientific magnanimity is a very important component in the research environment.

Scientific Magnanimity
: Nobel Laureate Prof. Norman E. Borlaug, a well-known agricultural scientist and a partner in India’s first Green Revolution, was receiving the M.S. Swaminathan Award at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 15 March 2005. Prof. Borlaug, at the age of 91, was having praise showered on him by everybody gathered there. When his turn came, he got up and highlighted India’s advancement in agricultural science and production and said that the political visionary C. Subramaniam and Dr M.S. Swaminathan were the prime architects of the first Green Revolution in India. He also recalled with pride Dr Verghese Kurien who ushered in the White Revolution in India. Then the surprise came. He turned to scientists sitting in the third, fifth and eighth rows among the audience. He identified Dr Raja Ram, a wheat specialist, Dr S.K. Vasal, a maize specialist, Dr B.R. Barwale, a seed specialist. He said, all these scientists had contributed to India’s and Asia’s agricultural science. Dr Borlaug introduced them to the audience and ensured that they received a standing ovation. This scene I have not witnessed in our country before. This action of Dr Borlaug, I call it scientific magnanimity. Friends, if you aspire to achieve great things in life, you need scientific magnanimity. It is my experience that great minds and great hearts go together. This scientific magnanimity will motivate the scientific community and nurture team spirit and lead to newer discoveries and innovation in many research areas.

10. Do you think that presidential visits to various friendly countries serve any concrete purpose or they are just ceremonials of limited value?

Accomplishment in any of these visits is purely based on what India wants to achieve. I have visited fourteen countries and addressed their national assemblies and parliament. The visits have given a better understanding of each other and led to newer avenues of dialogue and cooperation. This will have long-term benefit for both the countries.

For example, I addressed the Pan African Parliament in South Africa. There I offered the setting up of Pan African e-Network at an initial cost of $50 million. You will be happy to know that the project is progressing well and has resulted in intensive technology cooperation between Indian teams and the African Union. This I consider as a major achievement.

When I visited Sudan, the ONGC pipeline project was in the offing; today the project has been completed by ONGC Videsh and it is benefiting both the countries.

The Philippines have decided to plant jatropha taking our example. They had invited Indian experts for working out their plans. Also an active cooperation has taken place between Indian and Philippine pharma industries resulting in people there getting medicine at affordable prices. NASSCOM has started working with the Philippines in the establishment of IT, ITES and BPO services.

As a goodwill measure, we agreed to treat a certain number of heart patients, particularly children from Tanzania. I am happy to say that all these children have been brought to India and they have been treated and sent back to their country. Simultaneously many Tanzanian doctors have also been trained in dealing with heart cases.

During my visit to Singapore and South Korea, I have proposed the creation of a World Knowledge Platform between the partnering nations. This programme envisages the design, development and production of state-of-the-art products using
the core competence of partner nations in twelve different areas which can be marketed internationally. These countries are actively considering the implementation of a World Knowledge Platform.

11. Now that you have completed the major part of your term would you list some of the programmes which you have initiated and that have given you great satisfaction? Like the PURA for instance?

I would like to mention some of the programmes which give me satisfaction.

Rural Development:
Ministry of Rural Development has planned to establish 33 PURA clusters across the nation. Several private educational and societal organizations are taking up PURA to develop rural village clusters.

Energy:
Five states have gone in for jatropha plantations for bio-diesel generation. An energy policy has been announced.

Knowledge Grid:
The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) is planning to establish the knowledge grid across the nation by networking at least 5,000 academic institutions, universities, colleges using 100 mbps network.

Virtual University:
Three 150-year-old universities have started the Virtual University and I have inaugurated and addressed 20,000 students through virtual classrooms.

Village Knowledge Centre:
A 100,000 Common Services Centres have been initiated by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) to provide value-added services delivery to the village citizens.