Bangalore :

As he turned 80 on Sunday, Bharat Ratna C N R Rao expressed his concerns about the future of the country and asked the scientific community if it had “done enough for the younger generation”.

In his address, after being felicitated by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Science Research (JNCASR), Prof Rao said in the years to come, India will have the largest population of youth, with one billion people below 30 years of age.

“But have we been fair to the younger generation? Have we done enough for the country’s young people? That is something we need to introspect on,” he said.

Stating that this aspect has been worrying him, he said: “I have even been writing to the Prime Minister seeking additional investments to improve human resources in the country. The future, in my opinion, is bothersome for the country and we need to do something.”

Saying that science has given the society so much, Rao wondered if the scientific community had reciprocated similarly. “Have we lived the way scientists should live? Are we worried about humanism?” he asked.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India> Scientists / TNN / December 02nd, 2013