Comments by DR.A.Jagadeesh that are Published in various NewsPapers,Websites and Magazines

U.S. development model not suitable for India: Pitroda
By siliconindia news bureau

Thursday, 15 April 2010, 03:17 IST
Bangalore: India should develop an indigenous model for development that focuses on low-cost solutions, instead of copying the consumption-based American economic model which is unsuitable for the country, said Sam Pitroda, Advisor to Prime Minister on public information infrastructure.

While addressing the participants of Microsoft-organized Tech ED 2010, a technology conclave via videoconferencing from Chicago, the technocrat said India has its own challenges and requires Indian model focused on low-cost solutions. Reports PTI. "We need to learn to innovate on our own," he said.

The U.S. model of consumption-based economy is not scalable, sustainable for a country like ours. India needs to look at new development models in areas such as education and health. India's rural areas could become outsourcing hubs for urban centers.

Reader's comments (4)

I entirely agree with you Mr. Sam Pitroda.

Exponential growth has led to increased affluence: affluence led to more aspirations and wants; wants lead to consumerism. This consumer civilisation is in a perpetual motion. It is like this -- rags make paper, paper makes money; money makes banks; bank makes loans; loans make poverty; poverty makes rags and rags make paper ... one is not sure whether this exponential growth and perpetual motion have brought any happiness to man. The net result however is depletion of resources; degradation of environment and irreversible harm to the land and seas.

Consumer civilisation has led to increased wants and increased production leading to production explosion in advanced countries. In developing countries, one more child is considered as an additional investment leading to reproduction explosion. The predicament for mankind is Production Explosion verses Reproduction Explosion. The other predicament is two-thirds of human beings live in a state of poverty and misery while the remaining minority feel the effect of over - consumption and indigestion.

Modernism and consumer civilisation have landed us in an era where there is a basic conflict between man and nature. Earlier, nature controlled man. Today man controls nature. The ideal is for man not to control or conflict with nature or controlled by it but to live in consonance and harmony with nature.

The time has come therefore for alternative lines of development and growth. The alternative method is increased production with distributive justice and growth with social justice. Aspects like social justice, quality of life, a humane society and a kind of shift in societal values and priorities called for. It will be a society where services loom much larger than goods; when the focus is more on education and less on higher income; more on decent housing and transportation and less on keeping up with the Joneses.

In such a growth, new and alternative technologies may be developed and used requiring less use of energy, low energy agriculture, transportation system with low energy demand, more use of solar and other renewable energies; household and industrial appliances with long life and recyclability; extensive recycling of minerals and other materials; full utilisation of wastes; emphasis on conservation, and exploration and utilisation of ocean bed resources. We have to ask ourselves what kind of a society we wish to live in -- consumer society or an egalitarian society. We need not copy the advanced West. We need not wait for advanced countries for benevolence and to nobly renounce their exponential growth pattern at the cost of the resources of developing countries.

The important thing therefore is first to set the societal values and life styles which in turn will decide the type of technologies to be generated and used. Technology should thus be coupled with social technology to achieve the value systems and the type of society we wish to live in. It requires vision. Imagination must be coupled with engineering to bring it down to the level of people to do maximum good to maximum number of people. Coupling of imagination with engineering is called Imagineering.

Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore (AP)
Posted by: Dr.A.Jagadeesh - 15 Apr, 2010





On Dr.H.J.Bhabha and Science in India in December 2009(Please Open the Image in a new tab and Maximize it & watch to be able to view or read the Article Clearly)

















Smt.Indira Gandhi- A Champion for the cause and use of Science and Technology
October 30, 2009 11:21 IST
REDIFF NEWS



by Anumakonda JAGADEESH on Nov 01, 2009 10:24 PM

Smt.Indira Gandhi was champion of the cause and use of science and technology. She understood earlier than most other heads of state the significance of understanding the science behind environmental issues and basing policies to rectify the problems on that scientific knowledge.Her commitment for science is total,”the role of science is not merely increased production through advanced technology but it means changing the lives of the individuals and of the nation”. Indira Gandhi inherited a well-developed scientific and technological institutional infrastructure founded by her father. She was well aware of their importance in India's quest for self-reliance. Indira Gandhi increased government spending on research and development activities and she was keen to utilize the results for the social and economic modernization of the country. Not only did she place emphasis on formulating a national science and technology plan, she expanded research and development facilities in such areas as atomic energy, space and electronics, defense production and agriculture.Whenever a letter from public was addressed to her as Prime Minister a reply used to come within a fortnight. I had the privilege of scores of replies from her Secretariat that too from Top Officials. A 50 page note on DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST PROGRAMME by me at the Time of Election was placed before her for her consideration. Smt.Indira Gandhiji was indeed great.

Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore (AP)