Bhubaneswar, Feb 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday asked scientists to make innovation useful for the people and develop technology that is affordable to the masses with “zero defect” and “zero effect” on the environment.
“Everybody engaged in research may not get a Nobel Prize, but the real award for them is to make their invention useful for the common people,” he said after inaugurating the new campus of the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) at Jatni near here.
On the country’s traditional knowledge, Modi said, “Dr Manjul Bhargava became one of the great mathematicians by gathering knowledge from scriptures. His father was a Sanskrit scholar. We should connect the traditional knowledge with science and technology.”
“Our priority should be to make science and technology affordable to the masses with zero-effect and zero-defect,” the Prime Minister said, adding that what he meant by ‘zero-effect’ was that it should not have any adverse impact on environment and be free from side effects.
He said Odisha had abundant coal reserve. Therefore, affordable, cheap and green technology should be developed so that coal gasification could be developed here.
Noting that India’s ocean and sky remained untapped, Modi asked the scientific community to explore the resources and utilise them for the benefit of the people.
“Why did our forefathers describe the ocean as ‘Ratna Garva’. This is because of the wealth in the ocean. The scientific research should be in the field of marine areas,” he said.
On space research, he said India had already made its presence felt in space technology through the Mars mission. He recalled when scientists began research on space technology, there was no sufficient logistic to support them. Still they were successful.
While stressing on energy conservation and generation of cheap energy, the Prime Minister said it had been a great challenge for the scientists to produce cheap solar energy.
The technology should be developed for the same so that the poor people across the country could benefit.
“If 100 (smart) cities use LED bulbs, the country will save 20,000 MW of power. A small technological advance could save crores of rupees,” Modi said and added that efforts were on internationally to further develop renewable energy. He also called upon the scientists to create wealth from the wastes being generated in cities.
Noting that scientific temper should be infused among the students, he called upon the authorities of NISER to interact with science teachers in schools and students so that they were attracted to the subject and could devote time on innovation.
Modi, however, expressed displeasure over not finding any greenery in the NISER’s new campus though it has developed beautiful infrastructure and laboratories and libraries. He asked the authorities to make the campus green. Among those present at the function were Odisha Governor S C Jamir, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan.
Need new work culture of completing projects before time: Modi
Paradip (Odisha) Feb 7: Sharply criticising project delays of the past that lead to huge cost overruns, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said a new work culture of conceiving and completing projects before time is needed to boost economic growth.
Rejecting opposition Congress’ charge that projects he has been inaugurating in recent months were all started during their time, he said as Prime Minister he would have been happy if the projects were completed 15 years back and led to creation of jobs.
Dedicating to the nation Indian Oil Corp’s Rs 34,555-crore refinery here, Modi said the government is targeting reduction in oil import dependence by 10 per cent by 2022 by creating policy environment that supports raising domestic output as well as by mixing bio-fuels like ethanol in auto fuels.
“It is very natural that I am happy to inaugurate projects. But as Prime Minister of a country, I don’t feel happy at all. I would have been happy if these works would have been completed 15 years back, when lakhs of people here would have got jobs,” he said.
He added that projects in the country face obstructions in the form of court proceedings, tender process and sometimes agitations, making them very costly.
“For the development of the country, we all – citizens, bureaucracy, industry and policy makers, have to give birth to such a culture where projects start on time, progress within the scheduled time, and finish within the pre-decided time so that country gets the benefit, the benefit comes before scheduled time,” he said. The government, he added, was “trying to bring in this change so that there is no serious loss to the exchequer because of delay.” Initiatives have to be futuristic and completed before the designated time period.
“Delays shouldn’t occur,” he said, adding that in the past, ideas originated 50 years back, would take 10 years to put them on paper and conceived, a similar number of years to lay foundation stone and many more years before it is completed.
Modi said the Paradip refinery, whose foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000, will create lakhs of jobs as it will manufacture raw material for several industries, including plastics.
The government is promoting skill development, providing finances to youth under the MUDRA scheme and giving incentives under ‘Start Up India, Stand Up India’ initiative.
“We do not want youths to become job seekers. We want youths to become job creators,” he said, adding that under the MUDRA scheme, Rs 1 lakh crore has been given so far.
Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA) is a new institution set up by the government to provide funding to the non-corporate, non-farm sector income generating activities of micro and small enterprises whose credit needs are below Rs 10 lakh.
With the country dependent on imports to meet 79 per cent of its oil needs, Modi said oil imports have to be reduced.
“When in 2022 we celebrate 75 years of Indian independence, import of oil should be reduced by 10 per cent,” he said, adding the Petroleum Ministry and oil companies will take this challenge to make India self sufficient in energy.
India spent USD 112.7 billion on import of 189.4 million tons of crude oil in 2014-15 fiscal year.
Modi said most of India’s oil import comes from the Gulf countries. The aim is that oil that comes from ‘khari’ (Gulf countries) should be added to oil from ‘jhadi’ (bio-fuel).
“Khari ka tel aur jhadi ka tel milana hai (We have to mix oil from Gulf with oil from shrubs),” he said. While ethanol produced from sugarcane can be mixed with petrol, non-edible oil from Jatropha curcas can be added to diesel. These will not only cut oil imports but also protect environment, he said.
After meeting requirement of sugar sector, surplus cane can be used to produce ethanol, he said adding also, to make India self-sufficient in energy, solar energy is being promoted.
Modi said Paradip refinery will change the fortune of Odisha as it will create lakhs of jobs.
The unit will manufacture 78 crore kg of LPG, 500 crore litres of petrol, 660 crore litre of diesel, 250 crore litre of kerosene and ATF, 27 lakh quintal of sulphur and 120 lakh qunital of petroleum coke.
“You can imagine how much these products will give momentum to economic development,” he said.
LPG from the refinery will replace firewood in rural households. One hour of cooking on firewood subject rural women to smoke equivalent to 400 cigarettes, he said. “We are trying that the poor get LPG gas cylinders to give them freedom from smoke,” he said.
As many as 11 lakh new LPG connections have been provided in Odisha in last one year as compared to 26 lakh connections in previous 60 years, he said.
Also, fertilizer plants in the region are being revived to produce urea for farmers, he said.
Paradip refinery, he said, has added to the ‘Make-in-India’ glory as IOC’s indigenously developed INDMAX has maximised LPG yield to 44 per cent, the highest in the world.
“LPG production is going to increase. Economy will get a boost at low cost,” he said. Rs 1 lakh crore disbursed under MUDRA Yojana: Modi
Paradip (Odisha), Feb 7 (PTI) Loans worth about Rs 1 lakh crore have been sanctioned to small entrepreneurs under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, emphasising that the government wants youth to be job creators and not job seekers.
Speaking at the inauguration of Indian Oil Corp’s (IOC) Rs 34,555-crore Paradip Refinery, Modi said apart from public and private sector, there was a need for developing “personal sector” in which youth can become self sufficient, start businesses and generate new employment avenues.
“We do not want youth of the country to become job seekers, we want that they become job creators so that they give employment to one, two or five people. “So, under MUDRA Yojana we are giving fund to the youth.
We have disbursed about Rs 1 lakh crore. Within such less time, giving so much money to such people is not a small thing,” Modi said.
Under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, which was launched in April last year, loans between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh are provided to small entrepreneurs.
In India, about 65 per cent of the population is below the age of 35 years and for the progress of these youth, there was a need to boost entrepreneurship, Modi said.
“We need to create employment opportunities for youth in the country. So, through MUDRA Yojana, we wanted to make the youth self sufficient,” he said, adding that the government is moving ahead with the economic principle to make each individual and every family self sufficient.
Modi said whenever there is a discussion on economy, it is only public and private sector that is talked out. “I’m giving emphasis on third sector. If there is importance of public and private sector in the economy, then the third sector on which emphasis should be given is the personal sector.”
The Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA) focuses on the 5.75 crore self-employed who use funds totaling Rs 11 lakh crore and provide jobs to 12 crore people.
The banking sector has been allocated an overall disbursement target of about Rs 1.22 lakh crore during 2015-16 for MUDRA loans.
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