Hyderabad, Aug 5 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday asked scientific institutions to nurture talent and foster path-breaking innovations to transform the socio-economic landscape of the country.

Scientific organisations have to set ambitious goals and strategically position themselves to become leading institutions in the world, he said at the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of CSIR-IICT (Indian Institute of Chemical Technology).

"Though we are progressing on various fronts, incremental progress is not enough. The government must facilitate this quest for excellence by providing funds, freedom and flexibility. The private sector also needs to come forward to liberally support research," a release quoted him as saying.

"Reducing procedural bottlenecks, removing hierarchical barriers and resetting priorities is also crucial and the leadership in scientific institutions should encourage bright, young scientists to come up with new and unconventional ideas and projects. Opportunities must be provided for undertaking path-breaking research that answers one or more of current societal challenges."

Naidu said there was no dearth of talent in the country and stressed the need to create the right ecosystem for innovation to thrive.

"India, with 65 per cent of the population below the age of 35, must equip the young people with scientific and technological knowledge and skills," the Vice President added.



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Sabarkantha (Gujarat) (PTI): Seven men were killed and one was grievously injured when a speeding car rammed into a trailer truck on a highway near Himatnagar in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district early Wednesday morning, police said.

Due to the impact of the crash, the car was badly mangled and the bodies were retrieved after hectic efforts, they said. Rescue teams had to use a gas-cutter to remove the car scrap to pull out the bodies, an official said.

The accident occurred on a national highway connecting Udaipur (in Rajasthan) to Ahmedabad (Gujarat) at around 6.30 am, according to police.

"Seven car occupants were killed in the accident," Superintendent of Police Vijay Patel said.

"The car was carrying eight persons to Ahmedabad when it hit the trailer truck from behind while it was going ahead on the national highway," a Himatnagar police official said.

One passenger was grievously injured and rushed to a civil hospital for treatment, he said.

All the deceased were men, hailing from Ahmedabad. Their identities were being confirmed, the official said.