BENGALURU: The 9th edition of Bengaluru India Nano, the country’s premier nanosciences conference, was inaugurated on Thursday in the absence of the Chief Minister, who had confirmed that he would inaugurate the summit. The three-day event, being held at Hotel Lalit Ashok, will feature keynote talks by eminent scientists like Prof Paul S Weiss, Distinguished Professor of Material Science and Engineering at the University of California, and Prof Ashok K Ganguli of the Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, who was awarded the C N R Rao Bengaluru India Nano Science-2017 award, as well as several competitions and tutorials.
Speaking at the inaugural, Prof Rao said the field of nanotechnology, particularly in the life sciences sector, is progressing at a speed where it is becoming difficult to keep up with the subject. “There are two premier institutes in the country, one in Mohali and the other here in Bengaluru. We hope that they will contribute to various facets of nanoscience,” he said. Prof Rao, in his trademark style, also added that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would have had a more relaxed morning had he chosen to attend the conference instead of skipping it. “It is important to give attention to science,” he said.
Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha, who attended on the behalf of the CM, attempted to defuse the situation. “Please accept the apologies of the CM. He wanted to be here and it was in his schedule. But he is on a whirlwind tour and his programme is packed for 45 days. He was in Karwar on the other side of the state and could not come here,” she said, assuring the gathering that the absence of the CM was not symbolic in any way. “We will continue to support science and technology in the state and maintain our position as leaders in the field,” she said.Day one also saw Prof Ganguli being given the C N R Rao Bangalore India Nano Science 2017 award.