PM's speech at the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Awards ceremony- September 13, 2004, New Delhi

" Let me conclude by making a few specific commitments for our government.

• I reaffirm of India's commitment to basic science, applied science and the promotion of excellence.
• A commitment to rebuild the science base in the universities. This will include creating synergy between new initiatives in S&T and our university system.
• A commitment to promote public-private partnerships vigorously, to increase funding for frontier areas of scientific research.
• A commitment to the assurance of autonomy, accountability and de-bureaucratisation of S&T institutions.
• A commitment to restructure our S&T support systems.
• A commitment to create career opportunities and the potential for retaining talent in the S&T sector. "

Science and technology is an area of special concern for our Government. I want to renew the commitment that our great leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indiraji made to the development of science and technology in India. We have had a rich tradition of building a modern world-class knowledge economy in an economically developing country. Perhaps in recent times we have not done enough. But I am convinced that our country's future and the prosperity of our people are vitally dependent upon the development of science and technology and the harnessing of the gains of S&T for development. Equally, we must renew our commitment to fostering a scientific temper among the people so that we are able to deal with the challenges at hand in a rational and reasonable manner. In this context, I propose to constitute a Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, to be headed by a very distinguished scientist. The SAC will advise us on strategies, policies and programmes for the development and utilisation of science and technology as an essential input for all our developmental processes "

INDIA-UK Joint Declaration, September 20, 2004, London
(Signed by Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Tony Blair in London.)

The UK and India already co-operate closely on science and technology. We have established a Joint Committee on Science and Technology and a networking scheme that enables scientists to meet each other, exchange research ideas and establish links. We will now enhance existing collaboration and identify new areas for co-operation in fields such as: climate change, alternative and clean energy technologies, environmental science, commercial applications of high technology like biotech and bio-informatics, nano-technology, agriculture, and health research and development. We will encourage collaborative opportunities in these areas.