The Prime Minister said in a society like India, government must provide special incentives like scholarships to empower socially and economically disadvantaged groups.Dr. Manmohan Singh said the UPA government has taken several measures to provide scholarships to deserving students. He said, the students from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, minorities and girl child have specially benefited through these schemes to widen their knowledge base. Prime Minister was speaking at the Infosys Science foundation Annual award 2010 in Mumbai.Referring to Right to Education Act as the most important initiative of the government, he said, the barrier to knowledge for all in the shape of economic incapacity must be removed. Giving his own example of pursuit of higher studies through scholarships, Prime Minister said these tools liberate the young mind from economic and social handicaps.Referring to five streams of Infosys awards in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering and Computer, Life Sciences and Social Sciences, Dr. Singh said, India must make its mark in each of these disciplines.Lauding the young Scientists for pursuing the world class research despite inadequacies and constriants in the country, he urged others working outside to return to India to serve it better.Earlier, the Prime Minister presented awards to Professor Khare of the University of California for Mathematical Sciences, Prof. Sandip Trivedi of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai for Physical Sciences, Dr. Chetan Chitnis of Centre for Genetic Engineering and Bio technology, New Delhi for Life Sciences.Prof. Ashutosh Sharma of IIT, Kanpur for Engineering & Computer Sciences, Prof.Amita Baviskar of the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi for Sociology and Prof. Nandini Sunder of the Delhi School of Economics, Delhi for Social Anthropology. The recipients of the Infosys Prize 2010 were honoured with gold medallion, a citation and a cash prize of 50 lakhs rupees each.AIR correspondent reports, after arriving in Mumbai, Prime Minister visited the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay. Dr Singh, who is on a two day visit to Maharashtra, went around the Radiochemistry laboratory in BARC. During his half-an-hour tour of the strategic laboratory, Dr Singh was accompanied by the Atomic Energy Commission, Chairman S Banerjee and BARC Director R K Sinha.
News On AIR | January 7, 2011 8:34 AM
Prime Minister calls for special incentives for disadvantaged sections