PM Modi praises Nehru for scientific temper

Mumbai: Contrary to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s repeated attempts to dismantle vision and legacy of first prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, Narendra Modi on Saturday praised Nehruvian legacy in the field of science and technology that continues to inspire India today.

Delivering the customary inaugural address at the 102nd Indian Science Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “at the dawn of freedom, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru placed science and technology at the heart of national development. Our scientists launched pioneering research and built outstanding institutions with modest resources that continue to serve us well.”

The Modi government has recently done away with Planning Commission that had its roots in Nehru’s dispensation had on several occasions attempted to deride his legacy. The ruling party and the Congress traded barbs over the celebrations of the 125th birth anniversary of Nehru with BJP party blaming the first prime minister for the current and historical wrongs.

But, PM Modi’s praise of Nehru for his scientific temper comes as a surprise at the Science Congress. Reaching out to scientists, who often complain of bureaucratic hurdles and funding troubles for research, Modi said: "We want our scientists and researchers to explore the mysteries of science and not of government procedures. We want them to consider publications not government approvals. Funding proposals should not take too long to clear," he said.

Emphasising on the need for spreading knowledge of technology, particularly among children, Modi said, “Let us use internet to bring our scientists in direct contact with our children and youth. Digital connectivity should become as much a basic right as access to schools.”