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India to seek US help in basic science

M Chennanagaraj in New Delhi

India is likely to seek co-operation in the fields of basic sciences and renewable energy from the United States during the first Indo-US round-table talks commencing at Hyderabad on Friday.

The meeting is expected to discuss and identify a wide range of areas for mutual co-operation and modalities between the two countries for the newly-constituted Indo-US Science and Technology Forum. The forum came into being through a bilateral agreement signed on Tuesday by US Secretary of State Dr Madeleine Albright and Science and Technology Minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi.

S&T Secretary Dr V S Ramamurthy, who is heading the Indian side at the talks, told United News of India that basic sciences was an area where India would like to have co-operation because the facilities for basic sciences developed in the US was the best in the world. India could not be develop the infrastructure for training and research as it required high investment.

He said striking an understanding on basic sciences alone could not be an end in itself. The co-operation could extend for pre-market mature technologies that required commercialisation of technology.

Other areas for co-operation were energy efficient technologies and renewable sources of energy, especially the P V cells where the US had achieved a cutting edge success. These cells were India's immediate requirements within the next five-year period.

Dr Ramamurthy said the Indo-US Forum would be registered as a non-profit society under the India Society Act and would receive matching funds from India and the US.

He said co-operation between the two countries in S&T has existed since 1988-89 in various forms either for a fixed tenure or under an accord between then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and then US president Ronald Reagan. The present Indo-US forum, which was open ended, could be a long term arrangement. The forum could chart its own programme and generate its own funds involving the industries of the two countries. The US provided funds out of the money generated by way of interest from the PL 480 funds.

The Indian side is expected to be represented by 20 top scientists including former Union minister Professor M G K Menon, former space secretary Dr U R Rao, Professor C N R Rao besides Dr R A Mashalkar, director general of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the directors of three Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

The US side will be represented by Dr Rita Colwall, director, National Science Foundation, Dr Arun Netravalli, president, Bell Laboratories, D E J Miniz, under secretary department of energy, and Dr Robert Socolow from the Centre for Energy and Environment Studies, Princeton.

CLINTON VISITS INDIA:The complete coverage

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