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‘Gandhian engineering’ important tool to boost sustainable development growth post pandemic – Raghunath Mashelkar
He was taking on the topic of ‘Sustainable inclusive growth through Gandhian engineering’ on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti
In today’s crucial times, there has been a major setback to the world’s sustainable development growth. In the post-pandemic period for all these issues, the only solution is Gandhian Engineering, said eminent scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar in the first webinar organised by Pune Knowledge Cluster organised on Thursday.
He was taking on the topic of ‘Sustainable inclusive growth through Gandhian engineering’ on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
“Mahatma Gandhi was a great innovator as he introduced non-violence and also the use of ‘Charkha’ (spinning wheel) to spin clothes. For him ’Charkha’ symbolised innovation which had economic, social and spiritual overtones,” he said.
“The inspiration of Gandhian engineering comes from his two teachings, first– earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed. And the second one is – I would say every invention of science should be made for the benefit of all. So if we put these principles together we have the principle of Gandhian engineering which is ‘getting more from less and for more.’ It is not just for more profit, but for more people,” he said.
“When we speak of education, research and innovation, we can’t find a better place than Pune to have all of these with Pune Knowledge Cluster. And I hope that it turns out to be a great catalyst in fermenting new activities and bringing new opportunities,” he said.
Pune city officially got the tag of ‘Pune Knowledge Cluster’ in the month of August this year through the office of Principal Scientific Adviser. The goal of Pune Knowledge Cluster is to connect organisations with high-level of expertise in diverse domains of science and technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, in and around Pune. The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) has been designated to facilitate the project, and the funding for the cluster from the Principal Scientific Advisor Office will be dealt with by the office of the director of IUCAA.
The aim is to bring together academia, research and development institutions and the industry of Pune and its surrounding regions to address the challenging problems of the region through innovative means, using scientific knowledge and engaging highly skilled human resources.
Furthermore, Pune Knowledge Cluster aims to foster capacity building and promote skills development and entrepreneurship among the students and professionals of the city. In the initial phase, it would focus on air, water, health and sustainable mobility.
