?Chandrayan 2 was a successful mission, generated curiosity about science among the youth?: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates fifth India International Science Festival

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Fifth India International Science Festival, being held in Kolkata, today. He addressed the gathering through video conference.

Inaugurating the India International Science Festival in Kolkata this afternoon, the prime minister Narendra Modi said that the recent Chandrayan Mission was a successful mission and it has generated curiosity about science among the youth. He appealed to the scientific community to take long-term solution approach to make Science for society and Science for people. “There are no failures in science. There are efforts. There are experiments. And, finally, there is a success,” he said.

The Prime Minister has also stressed the need for the development of scientific temper among people to expedite development of the country. “The scientific temper reduces superstitions and encourages temperament of reasoning,” he added.

Shri Narendra Modi said that the Government is supporting innovations and inventions for this purpose. He also informed that five thousand Atal Tinkering labs are being set up in various parts of the country to encourage students for hands-on training on Science and Research.

The West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsha Vardhan and other distinguished guests were present at the inaugural session of the four-day-long festival. The prime objective of the festival is to instil scientific temper among people, showcase India’s contribution in the field of S&T and encourage the translation of its benefits to people. It aims to build a strategy for inclusive advancement of Science and Technology. The Theme of the Festival this year is- RISEN India- Research, Innovation, and Science Empowering the Nation.