Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he speaks during a national convention on space technology in New Delhi yesterday.

IANS/New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday emphasised the need to promote space technology-based tools and applications in governance and development, saying technology must be used to improve the common man’s life.
“Technology is a driving force. It has a huge impact and has solutions for numerable problems,” Modi said.
Addressing a special session of the national meet on promoting space technology here, Modi said he was happy to note the high degree of enthusiasm among government departments to use space technology in their respective areas of governance.
“It’s important for us how we come up with the new initiatives (in terms of utilising technology) as new ideas and initiatives could do wonders,” he said.
Giving an example of an aircraft which has all the information of weather and clouds, the prime minister asked if technology could be used to avoid accidents on unmanned railways crossings across the country.
Modi said he discussed the issue with scientists and asked them to come up with some tool which would inform the railways engine driver that there would be an unmanned railways crossing 3-4km ahead so that he could become alert.
“Available technology, if used with new thinking and initiatives, could make life better for the poorest of the poor,” he said.
The prime minister who witnessed a series of presentations for over two hours by senior officials on the outcomes of various theme sessions during the meet, said in areas such as encroachment on national highways, illegal coal mining and natural disasters, satellite technology could be used to make things clearer and easier.
Modi recalled eminent space scientist Vikram Sarabhai’s words on the cost of India’s space programme. He had said that no effort should be spared in the objective of fulfilling the needs of India’s common man.
“There has been an ongoing debate on if a country like India should get into competitive race of space technology. But our efforts (to improve life) must not lose the steam,” the prime minister said.
He also called upon the Indian Space Research Organisation to involve young minds to have new ideas.
“There should be no space between the space technology and the common man,” he said, stressing the need to make the maximum use of the available technology to improve life for all.