Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar urged corporates and “public leaders” on Monday to contribute as much as possible to research and development, emphasizing its potential impact on the country’s economic growth and diplomatic influence.
Speaking at the 18th foundation day celebration of ICMR-National Institute of Traditional Medicine here, the vice-president said, “We are living in big times. India, home to one sixth of humanity, is no longer a sleeping giant. No longer a country without potential. It is a country on the rise and the rise is unstoppable.”
Reflecting on his time in parliament and his tenure as a union minister in 1991, Dhankar remarked that back in 1990, the size of India’s economy was smaller than that of London and Paris.
“… look at where we are at the moment, the fifth largest global economy, ahead of the UK. They ruled us for over 100 years. (We are) ahead of France, and it is a matter of time we will be ahead of Japan and Germany also. No small achievement,” he said.
Dhankar emphasized the importance of not only controlling the disease itself but also addressing its source. He underscored the significance of prioritizing precaution and prevention, stating, “which can be done by dissemination of knowledge that is already there with us.”
“We must in the country develop a culture that every Indian has to be fit and healthy because the entire country at the moment is part of a marathon march for a Viksit Bharat in 2047. You all are part of this march. You have to be fighting fit. Once that happens not the sky, even space, is not the limit of our growth and that is happening,” he said.
“When this country was battling covid, you will be surprised, we supported 100 other countries to tackle it. They (countries) say — India is a true friend. We got assistance at the time when India was also tackling its big problem, and therefore I urge you and everyone in the corporate (world), please come forward and use your CSR to promote research, development, innovation, startups focusing on these areas. They will do us a great good,” he added.
Noting that the country has a visionary leadership, Dhankar said, “we are having big… achievements in space, on land, on roads, on infrastructure, on sea, in defence… it should not be difficult for us to involve every village in this pious task to make us health conscious, health aware.”
“These days, we find people get into depression, people are affected by tension and stress. New kinds of diseases are coming up because we are slightly departing from our cultural ethos. Communication is fundamental,” he added.
