NEW DELHI: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday urged the scientific community to launch mission-mode programmes for development of new healthcare products and electronic systems through a convergence of biotechnology, nanotechnology and information technology.

In an address broadcast over Doordarshan and All-India Radio to mark National Technology Day, he said there was also a need for scientists to take up mission-mode projects towards developing a mechanism for forecasting earthquakes, increasing the efficiency of solar photovoltaic cells, and improving the oil contents of jatropha plant that had potential as a source of bio-fuel.

Emphasising that technology empowered the nation and was a non-linear tool available to humanity that could effect fundamental changes in the ground rules of economic competitiveness, he said scientists needed to focus on increasing the efficiency of solar photovoltaic cells from the present level of 12 to 14 per cent to at least 45 to 50 per cent. He suggested that they could try to do so using the latest developments in the area of nano-technology.

Likewise, they needed to focus on improving the oil content of jatropha plant from the current level of 28 per cent to at least 45 per cent so that they could become more viable as bio-diesel for automobiles.

On earthquake forecasts, he suggested that the scientists could work on multiple parameters such as pre-shock conditions, electromagnetic phenomenon prior to final ruptures and atmospheric and ionospheric anomalies.

Encourage creativity

Dr. Kalam also called for measures to encourage creativity outside the formal scientific institutions. Drawing attention to the efforts being made by National Innovation Foundation under the Department of Science and Technology to scout for innovations at the grass-root level, he said, steps need to be taken to convert the innovations into commercial products.

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