Research organisations and universities should break out of their traditional constraints and initiate innovative programmes for advancement of science and technology in Kerala, Minister for Forest and Environment Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said here on Wednesday.
He was speaking after inaugurating a day-long seminar jointly organised by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) and the Kerala Academy of Sciences (KAS) to celebrate National Technology Day 2014.
The programme consisted of a series of lectures on the theme ‘Sustainable Technologies for Kerala’ by experts and heads of some of the state’s most prominent research organisations.
India marks National Technology Day on May 11 to commemorate several past technological achievements on the date including the nuclear tests at Pokhran, the flight of the first indigenous aircraft and the test-firing of the Trishul missile. It honours technological innovations and their successful commercialisation which makes the research fruitful and accessible to the people.
KSCSTE Executive Vice President Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai, who presided over the function, said Kerala needs to create a network of scientists to work together for boosting creativity in science.
Dr Oommen V Oommen, chairman of the Kerala Academy of Science, delivered the keynote address. KSCSTE member secretary Dr K K Ramachandran, director Prof George Varghese, joint director Dr V Ajit Prabhu, KAS vice-president Dr Radha Das and KAS general secretary Dr Ajit Kumar spoke on the occasion.
The inaugural function was followed by a technical session with lectures by G Vijayaraghavan, Member, State Planning Board; Dr R V G Menon, former principal of Government Engineering College; Prof K N Ninan of IIST; Dr P G Latha, director, JNTBGRI; Dr M Jayaraju, director, ANERT; and Dr Suresh Das, director, NIST, on various aspects of sustainable technologies for Kerala.