BENGALURU: President Ramnath Kovind, while speaking at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), said that the country should overcome problems of poverty, health and food and power deficiency by utilising science and technology. He chaired the round table meeting on Tuesday evening. Kovind arrived in the city to attend the diamond jubilee celebration of Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday morning.
A senior officer at the IISc said the meeting was attended by Governor Vajubhai Vala, State Chief Secretary Subhash Chandra Khuntia and scientists which included the ones from defence establishments in the city. During the closed door meeting, the President is said to have taken stock of major research projects and also interacted with scientists. Scientists from ISRO and IISc made a presentation of their work at the meeting. “The President wanted to familiarise himself with the work done at IISc and other institute which is why he had called them for a closed door meeting,’’ said a senior officer.
Kovind, speaking about India’s strides in technology, said, “We have had significant achievements in nano-technology, bio-technology, generic medicine and vaccines.” He termed IISc as a centre for scientific research in the country, and hailed the contributions of scientists like C V Raman, S Chandrashekhar, A P J Abdul Kalam and C N R Rao. He also said that scientists could contribute a lot in the country’s development. Kovind said, by the year 2022, the 75th year of Indian independence, the country would have become a model in various fields.Kovind visited the city for the first time after taking over as the President. He was received by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Governor Valubhai Vala at the HAL airport.
Closed loos can cause hiccups
The august gathering for the big occasion could cause a some blushes for the administration as the restrooms in the magnificent edifice have been closed. Work on renovation of the toilets started more than four months ago and are still on, reflecting the neglect and poor planning of the event.
Restrooms on the ground, first and second floors on the north side and those on the second floor on the south side are closed.