Delhi: Woman gangraped in a moving car by husband and two others

New Delhi, April 12, 2013 [IANS] --- A 20-year-old woman was gang-raped in a moving car by her husband and his two relatives here, police said Thursday. All attackers have been arrested. The incident came to light late Wednesday evening when the woman was found in an unconscious condition in west Delhi's Najafgarh area by a passerby, who informed police. The victim told police that she was gang-raped by her husband Inderjeet and his two relatives Nitin and Vijender -- all in the age group of 21 and 25 -- in a moving car. The woman told police that she was gang-raped after she consumed a cold drink offered by her husband and got unconscious. The woman, a resident of Haryana's Jhajjar district, married Inderjeet at a temple in March without informing their parents, police said. "The victim's medical examination was conducted at a hospital where doctors confirmed that she was gang-raped," said a police officer. A case was registered Thursday based on the woman's statement and her attackers were arrested from their hideouts in west Delhi's Bakkarwala village. "She was called by Inderjeet to meet him here Wednesday to register their marriage through court. After arriving in Delhi, the woman was taken by Inderjeet in a car in which Nitin and Vijender were already sitting," said the officer, citing from the women's statement.

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Man axes nine women to death in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, April 9, 2013 [CNN-IBN] --- A mentally unstable man carried out a bloodbath in Chhattisgarh's impoverished tribal-dominated Balrampur district on Thursday (Apr 4), axing to death nine girls and women aged between 2-65 years, police and eyewitnesses said. The bodies of four female adults and five minors, were lying in a pool of blood for hours in the terror-hit Barhatola village under Samri police station, and the accused, Pandu Nageshia, 35, was tracked down when Balrampur District Collector CR Prasanna and Superintendent of Police GS Darro reached there with a police contingent. "Its brutal killings by a man who is reportedly mentally unstable," Prasanna told IANS over phone from the village which comes under state's northern region, more than 400 km from Raipur. The bodies of four female adults and five minors, were lying in a pool of blood for hours in the terror-hit Barhatola village. "I am too in a state of shock after visiting the village and watching dead bodies scattered outside a house where the deceased belonging to two to three families had assembled as their male family members had gone out on daily work," he said. Prasanna along with Darro found extremely difficult to console several poverty-hit tribal people whose innocent relatives were butchered. Unfolding details of the shocking incident, Darro, quoting eye-witnesses, said Nageshia, who was armed with a sharp-edged weapon "tangia", suddenly went on a killing spree at around 1.30 pm and no one had an idea why he killed the nine - identified as Lalki Bai (60), Kusum Nageshia (4), Manju Nageshia (3), Sitamuni Bai (25), Priyanka (2), Machki Bai (65), Kalgi Bai (60), Sangeeta (10) and Sanjeeta (3).

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Rajiv Gandhi was 'middleman' for Swedish Jets

New Delhi, April 8, 2013 [ANI/YAHOO!India News] --- Rajiv Gandhi was a middleman in the 1970s for a Swedish company that was looking to sell fighter jets to the Indian Air Force, whistle blowing website Wikileaks has claimed. The astonishing revelation that he was the "main Indian negotiator" for a massive aircraft deal is contained in the latest tranche of U.S diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and accessed by The Hindu. According to the newspaper, Gandhi became the negotiator for the Swedish company Saab-Scania, when it was trying to sell its Viggen fighter aircraft to India in the 1970s, much before he became the prime minister. The first cable said that Air Marshal O.P Mehra's son-in-law was the chief negotiator for the competing Mirage, but it does not give his name, the paper said. Contacted in New Delhi, Navin Behl, the former Air Chief's son-in-law, denied that he was ever involved in any such negotiations, it added. The paper said that in another cable, the Swedes also made it clear they "understood the importance of family influences" in the final decision. "Our colleague describes Ranjiv Gandhi [sic] in flattering terms, and contends his technical expertise is of a high level. This may or may not be. Offhand, we would have thought a transport pilot [is] not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then we are speaking of a transport pilot who has another and perhaps more relevant qualification," the cable read, said the newspaper. According to the paper, the British SEPECAT Jaguar eventually won the race, from which Saab was forced to withdraw by the U.S.

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In Sunita Williams’s native village, goddess Dola is a Muslim woman

AHMEDABAD, April 4, 2013 [TOI] --- Jhulasan, a small village 40 km north of Ahmedabad, might be famous as the birth place of Indian-American astronaut Sunita Willaims's father. But it's also as interesting as the space woman. The village has perhaps the only Hindu temple that worships a Muslim deity - Dola Mata. Legend has it that over 250 years ago, Dola fought off infiltrators and looters valiantly but died. It is believed that her body metamorphosed into a flower and that the temple came up on the spot of the miracle. "The temple has been built in the memory of this brave Muslim woman whose name nobody really knows," said Dinesh Rawal, Williams' cousin and a former chairman of the municipal school board of Ahmedabad. "The fact is that though there has been no Muslim family in Jhulasan for years, villagers believe that the deity will always fight adversities and offer them protection." Rich villagers contributed Rs 4-odd crore in the recent past to build a decorated temple for their deity. President of the Jhulasan Kelavani Mandal, 71-year-old Ranjitsinh Vaghela, says it is true that the shrine was built in the memory of a Muslim woman. "The temple does not have any idol or picture. A yantra is placed upon a stone and is covered with a saree," said Vaghela. "When there is any calamity, villagers chant 'Dola Mata taara ghoda dodaye' urging the mother to fight for them." The shrine is also famous as 'Dollar Mata' temple because 1,500 people from the village of 7,000 are settled in the US. The deity is believed to fulfill the wishes of residents who want to immigrate to foreign lands. People take a pledge to hold a garba in the honour of Dola Mata once they reach the US safely. Sunita Williams will offer prayers here, as usual, on April 4 after her arrival. The villagers had lit up an "akhand diya" for Williams that glowed continuously till her safe return to earth last November from her four-month-long space odyssey.

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Girl strayed into Pakistan comes home

JAIPUR/BIKANER/JAISALMER, 02 APRIL [TOI] --- A seven-year-old girl, PoojaMeghwal, who strayed into Pakistani territory on Friday while grazing cattle was handed over to BSF officials by Pakistani Rangers on Monday evening. The girl is hale and hearty and returned with new dress, footwear and candies offered by Pakistani Rangers. Soon after getting the custody of Pooja, the BSF authorities took her to a hospital at an Indian post in Bikaner. The doctors found her in good health. "We have also intimated her family members and will try to hand over her today itself," said a senior officer of BSF. BSF authorities were in touch with Pakistani Rangers since Friday and had several rounds of flag meetings to get her back. BSF officials said they were waiting for the flag meeting since morning. "The meeting started in the evening when a commandant from their side and a commandant from our side participated in the meeting. They handed over the girl to us at 7.30 pm and we have given her custody to the local police ," said a BSF officer. Pak rangers gave her a new dress "The girl was smiling and was seen in a new dress given to her by Pakistani Rangers," a BSF officer said. Babu Lal Bishnoi, deputy superintendent of police, Bikaner, said: "The Rangers handed over the girl to BSF officials at 7.30pm while we got her custody by 8.45 pm. The girl told us that she was offered timely meal, candies, new footwear and a new dress by Pakistani Rangers. A woman officer was also deputed by them to take care of her," Bishnoi added. Pooja had crossed the international border and entered Pakistan through a damaged fencing near 43KYD village in Bikaner on Friday. Intruder sent back to Pakistan A 45-year old Pakistani intruder who had entered into Indian border from international border Pakistan from a border post near Govardhan border in Sriganganagar district was handed over to Pakistani rangers in a flag meeting with Pak rangers on Monday evening. Azam(45), a resident of Kiladidar of Apsahbad tehsil of Gujarwala district in Punjab state of Pakistan had entered into Indian territory on March, 10. Immediately after it Pak rangers were informed and they confirmed him to be their citizen. "During the interrogation, he told that he had entered into the Indian border by mistake. After all security and intelligence agencies inquiring him, no objectionable thing came in front and on Monday during the flag meeting, he was handed over to the Pak rangers," said an official. [TOI]

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Airports of Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad are among the top five in the world

[PTI]--Airports Council International (ACI), a global body of airports, has adjudged Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport as second best after Seoul’s Incheon airport in the category of airports handling 25-40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) for their service quality for the year 2012.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport was adjudged the third best in this category, an ACI statement said.

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International airport (RGI) has bagged the second position for their service quality in the category of five to 15 MPPA. Japan’s Nagoya airport was adjudged the best in this category.

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Being A Khan: Shah Rukh Khan

New Delhi, 31 Jan 2013 [NDTV | OUTLOOK | IBN7] --- The article 'Being a Khan', authored by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, appeared last week in the magazine Outlook Turning Points (The Global Agenda 2013).  Read the full article below:  I am an actor. Time does not frame my days with as much conviction as images do. Images rule my life. Moments and memories imprint themselves on my being in the form of the snapshots that I weave into my expression. The essence of my art is the ability to create images that resonate with the emotional imagery of those watching them. I am a Khan. The name itself conjures multiple images in my mind too: a strapping man riding a horse, his reckless hair flowing from beneath a turban tied firm around his head. His ruggedly handsome face marked by weathered lines and a distinctly large nose. A stereotyped extremist; no dance, no drink, no cigarette tipping off his lips, no monogamy, no blasphemy; a fair, silent face beguiling a violent fury smoldering within. A streak that could even make him blow himself up in the name of his God. Then there is the image of me being shoved into a back room of a vast American airport named after an American president (another parallel image: of the president being assassinated by a man named lee, not a Muslim thankfully, nor Chinese as some might imagine! I urgently shove the image of the room out of my head). Some stripping, frisking and many questions later, I am given an explanation (of sorts): "Your name pops up on our system, we are sorry". "So am I," I think to myself, "Now can I have my underwear back please?" Then, there is the image I most see, the one of me in my own country: being acclaimed as a megastar, adored and glorified, my fans mobbing me with love and apparent adulation. I am a Khan. I could say I fit into each of these images: I could be a strapping six feet something - ok something minus, about three inches at least, though I don't know much about horse-riding. A horse once galloped off with me flapping helplessly on it and I have had a "no horse-riding" clause embedded in my contracts ever since. I am extremely muscular between my ears, I am often told by my kids, and I used to be fair too, but now I have a perpetual tan or as I like to call it 'olive hue' - though deep In the recesses of my armpits I can still find the remains of a fairer day. I am handsome under the right kind of light and I really do have a "distinctly large" nose. It announces my arrival in fact, peeking through the doorway just before I make my megastar entrance. But my nose notwithstanding, my name means nothing to me unless I contextualize it. Stereotyping and contextualizing is the way of the world we live in: a world in which definition has become central to security. We take comfort in defining phenomena, objects and people - with a limited amount of knowledge and along known parameters. The predictability that naturally arises from these definitions makes us feel secure within our own limitations. We create little image boxes of our own. One such box has begun to draw its lid tighter and tighter at present. It is the box that contains an image of my religion in millions of minds. I encounter this tightening of definition every time moderation is required to be publicly expressed by the Muslim community in my country. Whenever there is an act of violence in the name of Islam, I am called upon to air my views on it and dispel the notion that by virtue of being a Muslim, I condone such senseless brutality. I am one of the voices chosen to represent my community in order to prevent other communities from reacting to all of us as if we were somehow colluding with or responsible for the crimes committed in the name of a religion that we experience entirely differently from the perpetrators of these crimes. I sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in india. There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighboring nation rather than my own country - this even though I am an Indian whose father fought for the freedom of India. Rallies have been held where leaders have exhorted me to leave my home and return to what they refer to as my "original homeland". Of course, I politely decline each time, citing such pressing reasons as sanitation words at my house preventing me from taking the good shower that's needed before undertaking such an extensive journey. I don't know how long this excuse will hold though. I gave my son and daughter names that could pass for generic (pan-Indian and pan-religious) ones: Aryan and Suhana. The Khan has been bequeathed by me so they can't really escape it. I pronounce it from my epiglottis when asked by Muslims and throw the Aryan as evidence of their race when non-Muslims enquire. I imagine this will prevent my offspring from receiving unwarranted eviction orders and random fatwas in the future. It will also keep my two children completely confused. Sometimes, they ask me what religion they belong to and, like a good Hindi movie hero, I roll my eyes up to the sky and declare philosophically, "You are an Indian first and your religion is humanity", or sing them an old Hindi film ditty, "Tu Hindu banega na Musalmaan banega - insaan ki aulaad hai insaan banega" set to Gangnam Style. None of this informs them with any clarity, it just confounds them some more and makes them deeply wary of their father. In the land of the freed, where I have been invited on several occasions to be honored, I have bumped into ideas that put me in a particular context. I have had my fair share of airport delays for instance. I became so sick of being mistaken for some crazed terrorist who coincidentally carries the same last name as mine that I made a film, subtly titled My name is Khan (and I am not a terrorist) to prove a point. Ironically, I was interrogated at the airport for hours about my last name when I was going to present the film in America for the first time. I wonder, at times, whether the same treatment is given to everyone whose last name just happens to be McVeigh (as in Timothy)?? I don't intend to hurt any sentiments, but truth be told, the aggressor and taker of life follows his or her own mind. It has to nothing to do with a name, a place or his/her religion. It is a mind that has its discipline, its own distinction of right from wrong and its own set of ideologies. In fact, one might say, it has its own "religion". This religions has nothing to do with the ones that have existed for centuries and been taught in mosques or churches. The call of the azaan or the words of the pope have no bearing on this person's soul. His soul is driven by the devil. I, for one, refuse to be contextualized by the ignorance of his ilk. I am a Khan. I am neither six-feet-tall nor handsome (I am modest though) nor am I a Muslim who looks down on other religions. I have been taught my religion by my six-foot-tall, handsome Pathan 'Papa' from Peshawar, where his proud family and mine still resides. He was a member of the no-violent Pathan movement called Khudai Khidamatgaar and a follower of both Gandhiji and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, who was also known as the Frontier Gandhi. My first learning of Islam from him was to respect women and children and to uphold the dignity of every human being. I learnt that the property and decency of others, their points of view, their beliefs, their philosophies and their religions were due as much respect as my own and ought to be accepted with an open mind. I learnt to believe in the power and benevolence of Allah, and to be gentle and kind to my fellow human beings, to give of myself to those less privileged than me and to live a life full of happiness, joy, laughter and fun without impinging on anybody else's freedom to live in the same way. So I am a Khan, but no stereotyped image is factored into my idea of who I am. Instead, the living of my life has enabled me to be deeply touched by the love of millions of Indians. I have felt this love for the last 20 years regardless of the fact that my community is a minority within the population of India. I have been showered with love across national and cultural boundaries, from Suriname to Japan and Saudi Arabia to Germany, places where they don't even understand my language. They appreciate what I do for them as an entertainer - that's all. My life has led me to understand and imbibe that love is a pure exchange, untempered by definition and unfettered by the narrowness of limiting ideas. If each one of us allowed ourselves the freedom to accept and return love in its purity, we would need no image boxes to hold up the walls of our security. I believe that I have been blessed with the opportunity to experience the magnitude of such a love, but I also know that its scale is irrelevant. In our own small ways, simply as human beings, we can appreciate each other for how touch our lives and not how our different religions or last names define us. Beneath the guise of my superstardom, I am an ordinary man. My Islamic stock does not conflict with that of my Hindu wife's. The only disagreements I have with Gauri concern the color of the walls in our living room and not about the locations of the walls demarcating temples from mosques in India.  We are bringing up a daughter who pirouettes in a leotard and choreographs her own ballets. She sings western songs that confound my sensibilities and aspires to be an actress. She also insists on covering her head when in a Muslim nation that practices this really beautiful and much misunderstood tenet of Islam. Our son's linear features proclaim his Pathan pedigree although he carries his own, rather gentle mutations of the warrior gene. He spends all day either pushing people asie at rugby, kicking some butt at Tae Kwon Do or eliminating unknown faces behind anonymous online gaming handles around the world with The Call of Duty video game. And yet, he firmly admonishes me for getting into a minor scuffle at the cricket stadium in Mumbai last year because some bigot make unsavory remarks about me being a Khan. The four of us make up a motley representation of the extraordinary acceptance and validation that love can foster when exchanged within the exquisiteness of things that are otherwise defined ordinary. For I believe, our religion is an extremely personal choice, not a public proclamation of who we are. It's as person as the spectacles of my father who passed away some 20 years ago. Spectacles that I hold onto as my most prized and personal possession of his memories, teachings and of being a proud Pathan. I have never compared those with my friends, who have similar possessions of their parents or grandparents. I have never said my father's spectacles are better than your mother's saree. So why should we have this comparison in the matter of religion, which is as personal and prized a belief as the memories of your elders. Why should not the love we share be the last word in defining us instead of the last name? It doesn't take a superstar to be able to give love, it just takes a heart and as far as I know, there isn't a force on this earth that can deprive anyone of theirs. I am a Khan, and that's what it has meant being one, despite the stereotype images that surround me. To be a Khan has been to be loved and love back - that the promise that virgins wait for me somewhere on the other side. ~ Shah Rukh Khan ===================================== "We In India Are Extremely Safe And Happy" 'We have an amazing democratic, free and secular way of life. In the environs that we live here in my country India, we have no safety issues regarding life or material. As a matter of fact it is irksome for me to clarify this non-existent issue.' According to me, all our lives we are defined by three identities. Two of which are fortunately acquired by birth and are a matter of unconditional love and acceptance. The first identity is acquired by where one is born. Our Motherland. That defines us. So foremost all of us here like me are proud Indians. Second the family name and upbringing that our parents give us. Mine is Khan, like some of us here. I am very proud of my parents, like all of us are here. I love them unconditionally. The third is the profession we choose that defines us. By some quirk of fate I am a celebrity...a public figure in the fields of art and media. Like most of us are here today. This is the full text of Shah Rukh Khan's statement clarifying his essay in Outlook Turning Points magazine. As I said being an Indian and my parents' child is an unconditional accepted truth of my life and I am very proud of both. The third...being a public figure makes me open to any kind of questioning, adjectives good and bad and or sometimes makes me an object of controversy as people use my name and statements to attach any positive or negative sentiment to it. I accept all the above because this is the life I chose and will stand by it. I am what I am, because of the love and admiration that comes with being who I am in my profession...so I thank everyone for making me the star I am. Now to address this whole issue, with regards to my Article, that has taken an unwarranted twist. I do not even understand the basis of this controversy. Ironically the article I wrote (yes its written by me) was actually meant to reiterate that on some occasions my being an Indian Muslim film star is misused by bigots and narrow minded people who have misplaced religious ideologies for small gains...and ironically the same has happened through this article...once again. The reason for this primarily is...I think some of the people have not even read it and are reacting to comments of people, who in turn have also not read it. So I implore you all to first read it. Second if you read it, nowhere does the article state or imply directly or indirectly that I feel unsafe...troubled or disturbed in India. It does not even vaguely say that I am ungrateful for the love that I have received in a career spanning 20 years. On the contrary the article only says that in spite of bigoted thoughts of some of the people that surround us...I am untouched by skepticism because of the love I have received by my countrymen and women. I will paraphrase the beginning and the end of the article to clarify and substantiate my stand. "Then, there is the image I most see, the one of me in my own country: being acclaimed as a megastar, adored and glorified, my fans mobbing me with love and apparent adulation. So I am a Khan, but no stereotyped image is factored into my idea of who I am. Instead, the living of my life has enabled me to be deeply touched by the love of millions of Indians. I have felt this love for the last 20 years regardless of the fact that my community is a minority within the population of India. I have been showered with love across national and cultural boundaries, they appreciate what I do for them as an entertainer - that's all. My life has led me to understand and imbibe that love is a pure exchange, untempered by definition and unfettered by the narrowness of limiting ideas. Sometimes, they ask me what religion they belong to and, like a good Hindi movie hero, I roll my eyes up to the sky and declare philosophically, you are an Indian first and your religion is Humanity, or sing them an old Hindi film ditty, tu hindu banega na musalmaan banega - insaan ki aulaad hai insaan banega set to Gangnam style. Why should not the love we share be the last word in defining us instead of the last name? It doesn't take a superstar to be able to give love, it just takes a heart and as far as i know, there isn't a force on this earth that can deprive anyone of theirs. I am a Khan, and that's what it has meant being one, despite the stereotype images that surround me. To be a Khan has been to be loved and love back." Please, I implore everyone here to read the article and convey through your respective mediums of communications, all the good things that it expresses to youngsters and my fellow Indians. It is a heartfelt and extremely important aspect of my life, an appreciation of love that all of you have bestowed upon me and also a point of view from my being a father of two young children. I would like to tell all those who are offering me unsolicited advice that we in India are extremely safe and happy. We have an amazing democratic, free and secular way of life. In the environs that we live here in my country India, we have no safety issues regarding life or material. As a matter of fact it is irksome for me to clarify this non-existent issue. With respect I would like to say to anyone who is interpreting my views and offering advice regarding them, please read what I have written first. Also some of the views that I have been made to read are just an extension of soft targeting celebs and creating an atmosphere of emotional outbursts and divisiveness based on religion...in the minds of some. I implore everyone to understand, that my article is against exactly this kind of giving in to propaganda and aggressiveness. Let's not be misled by tools which use religion as an anchor for unrest and a policy of divide and rule. I would also like to add here, that my profession as an actor makes me, liked beyond the borders of my nation and culture. The hugs and love that I am showered upon by Nationalities all around the world, make me safe all over the globe, and my safety has genuinely never been a matter of concern to me...and so it should not be a matter of concern to anyone else either. We are all educated and patriotic people. We do not have to prove that time and again because of divisive politics of a few. My own family and friends, are like a mini India...where all religions, professions and a few wrongs included, all are treated with tolerance and understanding and regard for each other. I only sell love...love that I have got from millions of Indians and non Indians...and stand indebted to my audience in my country and around the world. It is sad that I have to say it to prove it, in my country, which my father fought for, during the Independence struggle. That's my piece and having said all this...I would like to request all of you present here...that henceforth ask me questions regarding...my next movie. The songs that I have recorded. The release date of my film. The heroines cast in it. The Toiffa awards in Vancouver, because I am an actor and maybe I should just stick to stuff that all of you expect me to have a viewpoint on. The rest of it...maybe I don't have the right kind of media atmosphere to comment on. So I will refrain from it. And please if you can...put all I have said on your channels, or mediums of communication, in the exact same light as I have said it and meant it in. 24 hours of unrequired controversy is more than enough for all of us I assume. So do not sensationalize and hence trivialize matters of national interest and religion any further and drag a movie actor in the middle of it all...and let me get back to doing what I do best...making movies. ~ Shah Rukh Khan ========o========

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PM’s address at the Indian Science Congress

PM's address at the Indian Science Congress "As General President of the Indian Science Congress Association, it is my great honour to welcome our Chief Guest, the Hon'ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. Our President is a distinguished statesman. His wisdom, knowledge and vast experience of public life are great national assets. I also welcome the galaxy of luminaries, practitioners, policymakers and worshippers of science who have come together today to celebrate the centenary of the Indian Science Congress. By selecting Kolkata as the venue of this historic occasion, the Congress is celebrating its 100th Anniversary at the original home of the Association. Modern Indian science was largely nurtured here in the soil of Bengal. Kolkata's credentials in science are burnished not only by the impressive list of institutions it hosts today, but by the inquisitiveness, creativity and liberalism that have defined its residents for many generations. I thank the Government of West Bengal, particularly the Governor, Shri Narayanan, the Chief Minister, Kumari Mamata Banerjee, and the people of Kolkata for their unstinting support to the Science Congress. I would also like to take this opportunity to felicitate the Executive Committee and Members of the Council of the Indian Science Congress Association for their work during the year and for achieving many of the initiatives I had outlined in my inception address in this very city seven months ago. On the centenary of the Association, let us pause for a minute to recall the foresight and determination of its founding fathers – Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P.S. MacMahon. We also salute the genius and dedication of other stalwarts like Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, Sir RN Mookerjee, Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, Sir M Visvesvaraya, Sir CV Raman, Sir SN Bose and Professor Meghnad Saha, who made this great institution a vehicle for the spread of knowledge and progress for the Indian nation. Let their commitment and social consciousness be the guiding spirit of today's scientists. The theme of this Congress, `Science for Shaping the Future of India`, reflects the dream of every generation of Indian scientists. Faster growth over the next few decades, more sustainable development based on food and energy security, and socio-economic inclusion made possible by rapid growth of basic social services, such as education and health, are all crucial for defining India's future. Science, technology and innovation all have an important role to play in achieving these objectives. Science and technology development have been central to the phenomenal material advancement and efficiency in the use of resources seen in the last hundred years. The pace of change has only accelerated in the last few decades, as globalization and new technology have enhanced people's access to knowledge and their ability to leverage it through collaboration. India has benefited from this epochal transformation by embracing these trends. Since technological changes typically emanate from established structures, they may at times re-inforce them and inhibit the advancement of equity and equality. As India seeks a sustained growth of its national income, we must endeavour to harness the tools of science to cater to the needs of the underprivileged and to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Nearly 65 percent of our people live in rural areas. The increase in their living standards depends greatly on the growth of agricultural production and productivity. The Twelfth Five Year Plan assumes that a sustained growth of our agriculture at the rate of 4 percent per annum is essential for the achievement of food security for our country. This growth is constrained by shortages of water and also of land. We need new breakthroughs in water-saving technologies of cultivation, enhancement of land productivity and development of climate-resilient varieties. This transformation of agriculture must be the top priority concern of our public policies, including science and technology policies. In keeping with the theme of this Congress, the question naturally arises as to what we should do to build our future through science? I would like to share a few ideas. First, we must, as a society, enhance the spread of what Jawaharlal Nehru used to describe as the scientific temper. Our younger generations must adopt a science-based value-system in order to benefit from what science can offer and to make up for lost time. Complex issues, be they genetically modified food or nuclear energy or exploration of outer space, cannot be settled by faith, emotion and fear but by structured debate, analysis and enlightenment. A scientific approach and understanding of these issues are therefore as vital as our core scientific capabilities. For this, we must invest in popularizing science, not only in our schools and colleges – as we are doing through the INSPIRE programme – but also in our homes, workplaces and communities through all available communication methods, like the high-speed optical fibre National Knowledge Network. Eventually, science must help in establishing an inclusive society that seeks to solve major social problems through the application of science. Second, our scholarship and research must be informed by a keen awareness of our basic social and economic realities. Given the limited resources that we, as a nation, are able to devote to scientific research, it is imperative that we give priority to meeting those challenges which are fundamental to the transformation of our economy. I have already referred to the need to transform India's agriculture. But there are other equally valid concerns as well which require priority attention. The quest for energy security, sanitation, provision of safe drinking water, labour intensive manufactures and universal healthcare at affordable cost are other areas of high priority concern. Our effort should be to carve out a niche for India's leadership in some of these areas. Indian industry must play an active part in this process through in-house research centres and, more importantly, through enhanced academia-industry interaction. Third, a holistic organizational approach is essential. There was a time when science took a lonely road, driven by individual enterprise rather than collective effort. This is sub-optimal in the innovation and knowledge-intensive world that is empowering the growth process today. We need cross-fertilization of disciplines and synergy among stakeholders. Government-sponsored research must be supplemented by research in private labs. Academic and research systems must foster innovation and entrepreneurship and therefore link up with those interested in commercial development. In the last few years, we have taken some policy measures in this direction. We have encouraged sharing of and access to Government-owned data for research. We have also created new mechanisms like Innovation Complexes, Technology Business Incubator and Innovation Universities in an effort to bring about convergence of interests among the various players in science. Fourth, international collaboration is vital for increasingly resource-intensive modern science to progress. Economic liberalization and economic growth over the last several years have made it possible for our scientists to collaborate meaningfully and confidently in the international arena. Let me cite only two outstanding examples. There was significant Indian collaboration with the European Centre for Nuclear Research on the Large Hadron Collider, which led to the discovery of what is believed to be the elusive Higgs boson. The other example is our work with a select group of countries on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. We must partner not only with established leaders in science and technology, but also with emerging innovation powerhouses, many of them in our region. We must also offer our expertise to our neighbours for collective prosperity and progress. Finally, the quality of our scientific institutions will depend upon the quality of the students we can attract into science, the freedom we give them in pursuing scientific research and the human resource policies we follow in selecting leaders. We must select only the best and we must expand our search to the many Indian scientists abroad who may wish to return to India at least for some years. The solution of even the simplest of problems related to humanity's pressing needs often requires first-rate fundamental research. During the last eight years, we have tried to fill this gap by expanding the infrastructure of our scientific research and innovation. We have established five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, sixteen new Central Universities, ten new National Institutes of Technology, six new R&D institutions in the field of biotechnology and five institutions in other branches. It is my hope that all this will significantly raise the quality of scientific research in our country. Given that science-led innovation is the key to development, the National Innovation Council has also brought the domain of innovation to the foreground, helping translation of knowledge into usable solutions. The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013 released here today aspires to position India among the top five global scientific powers by the year 2020. It is an ambitious goal. It aims to produce and nurture talent in science, to stimulate research in our universities, to develop young leaders in the field of science, to reward performance, to create a policy environment for greater private sector participation in research and innovation and to forge international alliances and collaborations to meet the national agenda. The Twelfth Five Year Plan, which was approved by the NDC a few days ago, outlines a number of initiatives which will make this possible. An important step in this direction in the Eleventh Plan was the establishment of the National Science and Engineering Research Board as an autonomous funding body. As pointed out in the Twelfth Plan, this institution proposes to invest in researches of proven track record and establish about 200 to 250 centres based on a grant model with performance reward linkages. I would like to conclude by recalling Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's immortal lines in which he prayed for a future India where, among other things, a "clear stream of reason" would prevail. I am confident that, in the next five days, this confluence of leading lights of science from home and abroad will throw up useful ideas on how science will shape the future of India. As the Indian Science Congress crosses another milestone, let us pledge to keep alive the passion of its architects for truth that is eternal and beautiful and their dream to lead India to greater heights of knowledge. Let me also take this occasion to wish all those gathered here a very Happy New Year."

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