2.5 lakh grama panchayats to be connected via fibre optics: Sibal

Developing the infrastructure of the virtual world is as important as developing the physical to connect people. The UPA Government is committed to connect 2,50,000 grama panchayats through fibre optic cables and wireless broadband to create a virtual highway through which data will flow at almost the speed of sound, said Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal. He was inaugurating the Science Congress in Federal Institute of Science and Technology, Angamaly, as part of their Decennial celebrations on Tuesday.

This will facilitate farmers to identify the fish wealth in water, the best time for sowing and know the latest about market forces. Students in schools will get access to the entire world through the launch of Akash 2. Akash tablets, costing Rs 1,500 of 1 Ghz processor and having a battery life of four hours with a sim card to connect to Skype, will be distributed in the next five to seven years. This is a wonder of technology.

Always lend a helping hand to those who are yet to climb the ladder is the philosophy of science as seen in the scientific laws of nature. Science and technology share a symbiotic relationship, and students should go beyond the classroom and textbooks and discover themselves to understand the simplicity and complexity of the virtual world and nature. Without science and technology, no society can survive or move forward. Science is not about the ability to get a degree or a job, but about understanding the elements of nature and solving problems. Man is creating an imbalance by exploiting nature. Coal, which takes years to form, is destroyed within no time, he said.

Later, he laid the stone for Fisat Science and Technology Park and Research Centre.

Education Minister Abdu Rabb inaugurated FOCUSS and laid the foundation for the Fisat Decennial building. P C Chacko MP, chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, inaugurated the new block of the women’s hostel. V N Rajasekharan Pillai, executive vice-president of the KSCSTE, delivered the keynote address. K P Dhanapalan MP and Jose Thettayil MLA were present.