Inculcate scientific thinking in children: Venkaiah Naidu

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the ultimate aim of science is to make people's life comfortable and happier, as he asserted that it is important to inculcate scientific thinking in the younger generation.

Bengaluru: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the ultimate aim of science is to make people's life comfortable and happier, as he asserted that it is important to inculcate scientific thinking in the younger generation.

Science is the foundation of any society as it deals with truths of verifiable facts through repeated experiments, he said, adding inculcating scientific temperament among the society is key for the progress of societies and sustaining humanity.

"I always say that the ultimate aim of science is to make people's life comfortable and happier. And I am happy to say that astronomy has immensely benefitted society in multiple ways. There is a vast amount of technology transfer that happens from astronomy to industrial, aerospace, and energy sectors," Naidu said.

Speaking at an Indian Institute of Astrophysics event near here, he said, many technologies that we take for granted today- X-ray machines, precision clocks, supercomputers, satellite communication, GPS- are all fruits of research done in astronomy.

Astronomical studies are also helping us understand the evolution and composition of earth''s atmosphere.

This provides us vital insights into the factors relating to climate change and steps required to address the same, he was quoted as saying in his speech the copy of which was shared with media.

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Noting that astronomy is also bringing people and nations together as seen in several international projects, Venkaiah Naidu said, this universe is a mystery for man.

Astronomy does not just expand the horizons of human knowledge but makes us understand the vastness of the universe.

The environmental test facility that was inaugurated Tuesday is a facility to space qualify small payloads, he said, this will be opened for use by universities and industry to develop small space payloads.

These facilities will help the growth of the space sector in the future.

Highlighting that India's foray into such global and world-class national scientific ventures seems natural, given its intellectual reserves and global stature as an emerging economic and political power, the Vice-President said, it is important to inculcate scientific thinking in the younger generation.

The participation by India in mega-science projects has given the scientific community a unique opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with other advanced nations in the planning and construction of these complex projects, he said.

These have also brought the ambitious science experiments and industry together.

This is already benefiting the country in capacity building and technology transfer, Venkaiah Naidu added.

PTI