NEW DELHI, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a two-day center-state science conclave through video conferencing, officials said.
The first-of-its-kind conclave is being organised at Science city, Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat.
The event is aimed at strengthening center-state coordination and collaboration mechanisms in the spirit of cooperative federalism to build a robust science, technology and innovation (STI) ecosystem across the country.
"Science is like that energy in the development of 21st century India, which has the power to accelerate the development of every region and the development of every state. Today, when India is moving towards leading the fourth industrial revolution, the role of India's science and people related to this field is very important. In such a situation, the responsibility of people in administration and policy making increases significantly," Modi said.
Apart from the central and state governments, the conclave will be attended by young scientists, innovators and top industrialists.
Modi urged states to work together to make India a global center for science and technology.
Modi expressed the belief that the center-state science conclave will add a new dimension and resolve toward the progress of science in the country.
"The coming 25 years are the most important years for India as it will determine the new identity and strength of India to come," he said, urging the participants to take the learnings from the ongoing conclave to their states and contribute toward nation-building. ■