Vibrant India-South Africa relation reaches 20 years in the field of Science & Technology

NewsBharati    07-Oct-2017
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Durban, October 7: The two nations India and South Africa share a multi-dynamic bilateral relation which has now reached a new level after completing 20 years of Science and Technology Cooperation. An event is being held in Durban to celebrate this vibrant bond and top officials from both the countries are attending it. Science and technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan is leading the Indian delegation to South Africa.

In the event, Naledi Pandor, South African Minister of Science and Technology also joined. As both the countries have got great gifts of nature being rich in sunlight and sources of clean energy, they have agreed to cooperate closely on pioneering renewable energy options. They launched a new program on ‘grassroots innovation’ for co-development & deployment of affordable solutions to meet unmet needs of the society. The goal of the programme is to reach the common man. The name of the programme has been proposed as ‘Mandela-Gandhi Grassroots Innovation Programme' as we know how both the leaders struggled for the wellbeing of common mass.

 Currently, India is also focusing on Blue-economy. Blue Economy is based on the idea to use locally available resources and employ renewable inputs, for example, "ocean-as-a-resource" that addresses the problems of resource scarcity and enables sustainable development. A comprehensive cooperation in the area of marine science and technology contributing to the ‘Blue economy’ has also emerged.

Yesterday the Minister made a visit to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which is a large multi-radio telescope project under development in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It utilizes radio astronomy and has receiving stations at a minimum distance of 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) from a concentrated central core, enabling it to provide the highest resolution images compared to other sub-disciplines of astronomy.

India South Africa Blue-economy Grassroot Innovation programme Renewable Energy