Socio-Economic development of a country is directly linked to literacy rate and willingness to adopt a scientific approach to address societal problems. The states which ranked higher in terms of Human Development Index, have got higher rank in literacy rate and higher acceptance in adoption of science and technology. This was expressed by Hon’ble Cabinet Minister Industries & Commerce Punjab, Sh. Sunder Sham Arora on the occasion 19th All India Annual Conference of the Heads of the Science Centres/ Museums, (ACSMI) at PGSC, Kapurthala. Further he said that, socially responsible 21st Century Science Centers would need to focus on emerging areas of science & innovation and introduce visitors to applications of AI, IoT, Nanotechnology, Quantum, & synthetic biology, , etc. Further, to tackle inequality through distribution of knowledge, experiences and resources amongst all sections of society, both in urban and rural areas and across all age groups science centers could play an important role. Punjab Govt. will provide own share for the up graduation of Science City.Scientific temper helps to dispel superstitions, promotes logical thinking, nurtures human ingenuity that leads to innovation. He also stressed on UN 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development wherein science is considered as a key player.
Dr. Neelima Jearth, Director General Science City said that, International agreements related to Climate Change, Biodiversity conservation, Combating desertification, etc. also embody a new vision for prosperity and peace by allowing every society to create and share knowledge, nurture creativity and craft an inclusive, sustainable path for the future. She said that the main challenge was to assess ‘good science’ and understand how it could create inter and intra generational benefits. Science Centers, being exciting learning places for all ages, can achieve this objective as they transform society by building scientific attitude, provide a platform for understanding scientific concepts, extend opportunities to masses to explore the very mysteries that make up our world and inspire all visitors, regardless of age and background.Dr. Rajesh Grover, Director Science City said that, the future science centre’s would need to be engaged with caring for the environment besides communicating pure science. They will need to promote environmentally friendly technologies and responsible resource consumption practices to help society appreciate and achieve sustainable development goals. On the occasion Director Hqrs NCSM Mr. S Kumar, Director Birla Museum Pilani Mr. VN Dhaulakhandi, ADC (G) Kapurthala Mr. Rahul Chaba, SDM Mr. Varinder Pal Singh Bajwa, DSP Mr. Harinder Singh Gill and others were also present.