The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the Infosys Prizes for the year 2015 today (February 13, 2016) in New Delhi.Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the winners of the Infosys Prizes and said their research is laying the groundwork for an evolved, enabling, and sustainable world. He stated that awards like the Infosys Prize are an important step towards recognizing path-breaking research being pursued by scientists and academicians across the world. By rewarding excellence in cutting-edge research, the Infosys Science Foundation is spearheading the quest for breakthrough innovation amongst young scientists. Innovation is integral to economic development of a nation, and society at large. The Infosys Prizes will go a long way towards nurturing the innovation ecosystem in our country and inspire young minds to solve real-world problems.
The President said by 2020, India is set to become the world’s youngest country with 64 percent of its population in the working age group. This demographic potential offers India and its growing economy an extraordinary advantage that could significantly contribute to the country’s GDP. The youth of our country need our consistent encouragement to pursue innovation in their chosen fields. The exceptional journey of the Infosys Prize Laureates will inspire youth to take up research and participate in national progress. The President said India’s future is inextricably linked to the progress we can make in establishing strong foundations for scientific research within our country. To ensure that we continue to lead the world in terms of technology breakthroughs, we need to ensure that our youth has access to a supporting ecosystem, an education system that helps them hone their research acumen and a wide network of industry mentors. The President said scientific excellence must be driven by a concern for humanity. Gandhiji believed that if science becomes all technique and technology, it quickly deteriorates into man against humanity. Technologies emerge from the paradigms of science. And if there is an insufficient understanding of the greater human purposes that the technology is striving to serve, we will become victims of our own technocracy.