Entrepreneurs support crucial for 'Make in India' campaign

The 'Make in India' mission of the government will require participation of innovators and entrepreneurs and the joint Indo-US science and technology programme will enhance the country's ability to achieve the target, Union Minister Y S Chowdary said on Monday.

The Minister, who was speaking at the third meeting of the India-US Joint Commission on Science and Technology Cooperation, said the commission is an opportunity for both the countries to "energise" the common aspirations in science, technology and innovations and build strong networks.

"Our government's initiative of 'Make in India' requires participation of innovators and entrepreneurs in various fields to make it successful.

A growing workforce capable of deciding and making products using reduced manufacturing costs is crucial in advancing the mission.

"The Indo-US joint science and technology cooperation will greatly enhance our ability to achieve the mission," the Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences said.

He said the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had prioritised different sectors in which science and technology will play a pivotal role and looked at cooperation with the US in these fields.

"I hope to see the area R&D expand. Fields like agriculture, integrated water management, smart cities, public health, sanitation, clean energy, communication and transport are some of the key areas that the government will have as priority. "Our (India and the US) strength in the software capabilities can be leveraged with the hardware capabilities of the US to accelerate the 3D printing technology," the Minister said.

John Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the two countries were working in the fields of space, medical sciences, climate change, clean energy and agriculture.

"The challenges faced by the two countries are the same across a range of issues like climate change, affordable energy. It is very important and also makes sense to work together on these challenges. "Science and technology is central to the solution of all of them. We need, as (US President) Barack Obama had mentioned, resources of everyone across the world to be successful in that," he said.

Holdren said there has been a history of cooperation in biosciences and clean sciences between the two countries, but more was needed to be done.