Washington: India and the US Monday pledged to step up their bilateral collaboration in the field of science and technology to boost innovation in key areas of clean energy, environment and high technology to spur economic growth.
Noting that India and the US have made significant progress in field of science and technology in recent years, top officials of the two countries, who gathered here for the Second India-US Joint Commission meeting said that there is need to accelerate the co-operation and collaborative projects in this regard.
The meeting, being held on the sidelines of the third India-US Strategic Dialogue, is being co-chaired by Dr John P Holdren, Assistant to the US President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister of Science, Technology and Earth Sciences.
As officials from the two countries reviewed the progress made in the recent years, including the setting of the Monsoon Desk at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Holdren said this degree of progress reflects the fact that leaders of both the countries, the US President Barack Obama and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, fully appreciate the importance of science and technology and innovation to economic growth to help environment, clean energy and wellbeing of all their citizens.
"I am happy to report that the bilateral relations have increased measurably in the areas of maritime, agriculture and bio diversity, basic and applied sciences, advance telecommunications, energy and commercialisation of new technologies," Holdren said.
Relations in science and technology research and development have been strengthened, Deshmukh said adding that the Joint Commission plays an important role in guiding the future direction.
"We look forward to the recommendations of the group on basic and applied sciences, health and medical sciences; and atmospheric sciences," he said.
Identifying several areas of co-operation in this field, Deshmukh said he seems emerging new opportunities for India and the US on their common aspirations in science and technology and innovation.
"We need to work more closely and effectively," he stressed.
The science relations is one of the most vibrant pillars of bi-lateral engagement, said Nancy Powell, the US Ambassador to India, in her briefing to the opening session of the Joint Commission meeting. The future belongs to science, she noted.
US India Science Endowment Board, she said is fully operational.
"We find an emerging Indo-US eco system based on co-investment and co-development. Basic research has got a boost by expanding collaboration between the National Science Foundation and Department of Science and Technology in India", the Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, said.
PTI
