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Kalam says women hold the key to India's development

Defence scientist Bharat Ratna A P J Abdul Kalam dreams that by 2020, India will be a developed nation with core-competence in the economic and defence sectors.

"In the last 50 years, we have achieved a lot... [but] core competence needs to be developed in agriculture and food-processing, electric power generation, education and health care, information technology, and strategic areas like defence, nuclear science and space research," Kalam, who recently wrote a book called Vision 2020, told a huge gathering of women scientists.

Addressing the plenary session of the International Conference of Women-in-Science organised by the Indian Women Scientists' Association at the Nehru Centre in Bombay, Kalam said that to make this dream a reality, women, who account for 50 per cent of the population, will have to play a major role.

Kalam, the defence minister's scientific adviser, said women have entered all areas of science and cited the examples of women scientists who have played a role in developing the Akash and Agni missile systems. "The tasks were difficult... but they [the women] have proved their competence by executing the jobs successfully," he said.

For India to be a developed country by 2020, women will have to play an important role and education will be the key, he said. This will be the greatest revolution in the country after the struggle for independence, he added.

Kalam noted that in the last few years, in strategic areas like nuclear science, defence, and space research, India has received several laurels. The recent series of nuclear tests have proved the country's capability, he said. Kalam was closely associated with the tests.

Earlier, inaugurating the conference, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Dr R Chidambaram said career discontinuity among women needs to be reduced. "After marriage there are several cases of career discontinuity. But these can be avoided with the information technology revolution -- and during leave they can have access to their offices," he pointed out.

UNI

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