Modi in Odisha, Calls for Innovation in Every Field

Bhubaneswar, Feb 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a two-day visit to Odisha on Sunday called for innovation in every field and said the country's young scientists should take up the great challenge of tapping solar energy.

"The moment innovation stops, systems lose their life. We have to create an environment for innovation. The innovation should be affordable and sustainable," Modi said inaugurating the permanent campus of the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) here.

He said manufacturing should have "zero defect" so that products are not rejected in the global market and "zero effect" so that no negative impact is left on the environment.

The prime minister cited the innovation embodied in LED bulb as an example of affordable and sustainable technology, and said, "We can save 20,000 MW energy by using LED bulbs in 100 cities across the country."

Innovation for clean energy is the need of the hour, such as technology that needs to be developed for coal gasification to ensure minimal effect on climate, Modi said.

He reiterated his concept of colour revolutions, calling for a green revolution in agriculture, a blue revolution in water and sky, saffron in energy, and white in dairy farming.

Modi said India's young scientists must take up the great challenge of tapping solar power.

"If we have mastery over storage of solar energy, then I don't think we would need to depend on any other energy source," he said, noting that India, France, America and the Gates Foundation together have decided to invest in research on solar energy at the Paris COP21 climate summit.

The prime minister also exhorted the NISER scholars to help foster scientific temper among schoolchildren.

After inaugurating the NISER campus, Modi visited Srimandir to pay obeisance to Lord Jagannath.