BENGALURU: Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India Ajay Kumar Sood said technologies and its developments in various sectors such as health, agriculture and cybersecurity need to be analysed and their adoption should be ethical. Aspects such as sustainability and environmental impact should be considered.
He was speaking at Dialogue 2023 event in Bengaluru on Saturday organised by the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and the Office of the PSA. Sood also spoke about the National Quantum Mission which has been allotted a budget of Rs 6,003.615 crore for over eight years. “Quantum technology mission will give an opportunity to cash on quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum sensors,” he said.
He added that India has become a great contributor to artificial intelligence. He said over 11 ministries are working on the the soon-to-be-launched One Health Mission, which will have a holistic approach to pandemic preparedness, joint outbreak response, routine prevention programmes and integrated surveillance.
“A health institute under the mission will be built in Nagpur, Maharashtra to coordinate efforts of all the ministries and focus on the gap areas and technology challenges,” Sood informed. He also briefed about the Manthan Project, which will focus on building astronomy and space education labs in the country and opportunities for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).