Why Google, BlackBerry did not originate in India, asks Bansal

S&T Minister P K Bansal cautioned scientists not to get carried away by the euphoria of being an "innovation nation"

PTI | May 12, 2011



As the country On Wednesday celebrated Technology Day, S&T Minister P K Bansal cautioned scientists not to get carried away by the euphoria of being an "innovation nation", but ponder why Google or Blackberry did not originate in India.

"Lest we get carried away by the euphoria of India being an innovation nation we must also ask ourselves why there is no Google coming out of India or why Blackberry did not originate in India," he said, addressing the Technology Day function here.

He asked scientists to identify key gaps in the innovation infrastructure that need to be filled.

"It is essential that we motivate and incentivise our youth to focus on research activities... I would urge all of you assembled here today to think big and to act with strong sense of self belief, nationalistic spirit and the desire to excel," Bansal said.

Earlier, former President A P J Abdul Kalam gave away Technology Day Awards to companies and individuals who have developed and commercialised innovative indigenous technologies.

Among the awardees were: Kritikal Secure Scan which developed the under vehicle scanner system; Neurosynaptic Communication which developed a device that enables a doctor to remotely record physical and clinical parameter for diagnosis of a patient.

Aurora Integrated Systems bagged the award for designing an unmanned aerial vehicle for over-the-hill reconnaissance to provide images in real time and Veejay Lakshmi Engineering Works was recognised for its automatic cone winder used in textile spinning mills.

Reliance Industries Limited, Hazira Manufacturing Unit received the National Award for Successful Commercialisation of Indigenous Technology for its Advanced Donor Technology for High Performance Raffia Grade Polypropylene Production.

Small scale unit TopGear Transmissions received the award for developing and commercialising planetary gear boxes and a number of custom built gear boxes.

NUMAC got the award in the SSI category for developing and commercialising rotary vane assembly and body liners for coal mills to prevent frequent damages of the assembly and avoid outages and downtime of mills.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Beyond LPG: Is PNG ready for India’s next cooking fuel transition?

India, the second-largest importer and consumer of LPG after China, faces growing pressure due to supply constraints. Most of India`s LPG imports transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a focal point of global turmoil. Given that LPG forms the backbone of household kitchens and the restaurant industry, any s

Maharashtra adopts hybrid model for Census 2026 data collection

The government has initiated preparations for Census 2026 in Maharashtra, introducing a hybrid approach that combines optional self-enumeration with comprehensive door-to-door data collection to ensure complete coverage across the state.   According to senior officials, the Self-

What the nine Indian Nobel winners have in common

A Touch Of Genius: The Wisdom of India’s Nobel Laureates Edited by Rudrangshu Mukherjee Aleph Books, Rs 1499, 848 pages  

Income Tax dept holds Ghatkopar Outreach on new IT Act

The Income Tax Department organised an outreach programme in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, to raise awareness about the key features of the Income Tax Act, 2025, effective April 1, 2026. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to promote taxpayer awareness, simplify compliance, and strengthen a transparent, eff

Making AI work where governance is closest to people

India’s next governance leap may not solely come from digitisation. It will come from making public systems more intelligent, more adaptive, and more responsive to the dynamics at the grassroots. That opportunity is especially significant at the panchayat level, where governance is not an abstract po

Borrowing troubles: How small loans are quietly trapping youth

A silent crisis is playing out in the pocket of young India, not in stock markets or government treasuries, but in smartphones of college students and first-jobbers who clicked on the Apply Now button without reading the small print.  A decade ago, to take a loan, you had to do some paperwor


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter