Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open a conclave of state science and technology ministers in Ahmedabad on September 10, the science and technology ministry said August 31. Chairing a high-level review meeting here, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the conclave aims at strengthening the national science, technology & innovation (STI) ecosystem through greater synergy between the Centre and the states.
The minister said the center will help states develop STI policies and will work jointly with them to address their specific STI needs, challenges and gap areas and to evolve solutions. Science and technology ministers from all 28 states, managers of eight of his UTs and CEOs of over 100 start-ups and industries will attend his two-day science conclave, Mr Singh said in an official statement.
All states and UTs will be asked to have individual STI policy
Singh said that the two-day Science and Technology Conclave will have a new dimension as several action-oriented decisions will be taken and all states and UTs will be asked to have individual STI policy on the lines of national STI policy. The Union science and technology minister said that in the true spirit of cooperative federalism, the Centre will assist states in formulating their state STI policies.
Singh said that there is a need for states to be proactive in aligning their policies towards the larger goal of strengthening Centre-State coordination and collaboration mechanism to strengthen STI ecosystem in the states by promoting R&D, innovation and entrepreneurship. He said states must be able to explore solutions to their local problems through S&T interventions and promised all help by the Centre in exploring such solutions by connecting them to knowledge institutions and experts. The minister pointed out that some of the states and UTs have weak S&T base and institutional strength, and therefore they must connect their institutions with central government R&D and academic institutions.
