Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top scientific officials of the government. The officials included NITI Ayog member Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Principal Scientific Advisor of the Government, Dr. R. Chidambaram and Secretaries related to scientific departments in the Government. <br/><br/>In the meeting held in New Delhi yesterday, they briefed the Prime Minister on progress in various areas of scientific research. <br/><br/>An official release said the Prime Minister asserted that science, technology and innovation are the keys to progress and prosperity of the country. He said that the government's priority in the science and technology sector is to apply science to solve country's problems. <br/><br/>Giving the example of talent spotting in sports, the Prime Minister said that mechanisms should be made to identify the brightest and best science talent among school students. Urging officials to break silos, Mr Modi strongly emphasized that a mechanism should be formed to document and replicate successful innovations at the grassroots level. <br/><br/>In the agriculture sector, the Prime Minister identified high-protein pulses, fortified foods, and value addition in castor, as priority areas which needed to be speeded up. <br/>In the energy sector, he said the possibilities of solar energy should be pursued to the maximum, to reduce dependence on energy imports.