12th State conference of Jana Vignana Vedika gets under way

The percentage of GDP allocated for promotion of science has registered a negligible increase from 0.8 last year to 0.9 now. This is despite political leaders promising to increase it substantially.

Making this observation at the 12th State conference of the Jana Vignana Vedika here on Sunday, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology Director Ch. Mohan Rao said lack of proper funding was lamentable. He said scientific temper should be promoted among people. He, however, cautioned going against any religion.

He spoke at length on biological approaches, reconstructing Indian population, rice and its proteins, and peptides and nanotechnology.

The scientist presented a glimpse of future medicine, which is individualised, nano encapsulated novel drug, cell-based therapy, gene therapy, and nano robotic clinical procedure.

Superstitions

JVV first president Vinod Kumar Gaur said: “India is known as a great country since time immemorial as it has scientific researches and unity.” But superstitions, which emerged recently, ruined the country, he told the delegates. People in general need to improve themselves by knowing more about science and implement its principles in their lives.    

Vignan Prasar member T.V. Venkateswaran from New Delhi gave a lecture on the emergence of mathematics and said that 2012 was declared as National Year of Mathematics to coincide with the 125th birth anniversary of Father of Mathematics, Ramanujam.

Statistics

He gave a statistics on how mathematics transformed and how mathematicians suffered in proving the existence of the subject. “Mathematics is vital for the existence of science in the world,” he opined.

The State conference was attended by persons such as MLCs – K.S. Lakshmana Rao, Ilapuram Venkaiah, V. Balasubramanyum, and Geyanand, professor A. Ramachandraiah, general secretary of All-India People's Science Network T. Gangadharan, and members of the Jana Vignana Vedika.

The members were happy at the successful inaugural of the conference and hoped it would celebrate silver jubilee very soon.

Krishna District Collector S.A.M. Rizvi, formally launching the conference, called upon the members of the JVV to dispel the superstitions among people and educate them on scientific principles.

Speaking on the occasion, he said superstitions had become a hindrance in the development of society.

He spoke about a recent incident where a man sacrificed a 14-year-old boy for hidden treasure.

JVV State president B.N. Reddy awareness programmes were organised on seven aspects such as education, pollution, agriculture, environment, women empowerment, science, and liquor.

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Allocation for science promotion negligible, says CCMB Director