Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled the Madhya Pradesh Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2022 here on Monday night. He said an innovation fund would be established to drive innovation in the state.
He said that as of now, Madhya Pradesh is known as an agriculture-led state and after the above policy is implemented, he wants the state to be known as a technology-led state. He said that science is not new to India because ancient India used scientific methods, and in this he cited the Indian calendar for calculating years, which is more accurate in the world.
Data is precious gold, he added. Therefore, efforts will be made to secure it in a better way. He also shed light on TK and pointed out the need for science and TK to develop together. He said that yoga and pranayama are also science.
NITI Aayog member Vijay Kumar Saraswat praised the MP’s science, technology and innovation policy. At the same time, he said the research ecosystem is largely centrally funded. But the research will not take place at the state university. He suggested promoting research efforts at state universities. He also shared his experience of meeting the Prime Minister for the first time when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. At the time, the prime minister had asked him to link science and society.
Better science cannot progress without good policy support and innovation funding, he said. This time, Minister of Science and Technology of India Om Prakash Saklecha, Vice Chairman of Madhya Pradesh National Policy and Planning Commission, Chief Scientific Advisor of the Indian Government Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, etc. attended.