Union Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas said the nation’s achievements in defence research sector should be highlighted and that it was essential to create an awareness among the public on the growth in this sector. He was inaugurating the valedictory session of ‘Suraksha-2013’, the three-day National Exhibition on Science and Technology Intervention jointly organised by Swadeshi Science Movement, Kerala; Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) here on Sunday. “In order to showcase India’s feats to the people, the ‘defence exhibition on train’ will be used in various parts of the country. For this, a discussion with Defence Minister A K Antony will be held,” Thomas said. According to him, youth should be attracted to the defence sector for which Suraksha-2013 provided a good platform. Thomas also appreciated the organisers for successfully conducting the expo. S Anantha Narayanan, Director, NPOL, Kochi, presided over the function. Narayanan said around 25,000 people visited the expo. The event had brought together the defence industry, academia, researchers and the public. The exhibition has created awareness among the public about the opportunities in defence research and development. “We hope to come back in 2015 with a bigger exhibition in the city and with this Kochi will be a major centre in the field of defence research and development”, he said. T Mukundan, scientist, NPOL; N G K Pillai, secretary, Swadeshi Science Movement; Vivekananda Pai, secretary, Vijnana Bharati; Mohan Rao, DMRL; and E V Radhakrishnan, secretary-general, Suraksha-2013, also spoke. The expo showcased the achievements of over 25 defence research laboratories and related industries. Seminars, panel discussions, students’ interactions with scientists and painting and quiz competitions for students were also held in connection with the expo. Source: Astrashastra
