Nairs call for research in basic science

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Research in basic sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Botany was a prerequisite to the development of the nation, former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair has said. That India was able to catch up with 250 years of scientific progress in the West in just 60 years of Independence was due to the emphasis on progress in science and technology, he said, delivering a special address at ‘Sameeksha-2011’, organised by MG College, Thiruvananthapuram, on Tuesday. It was due to the progress in this field that India could hold its own during the global economic meltdown, Madhavan Nair said.  He also inaugurated ‘Samagra-2011’, a lecture series, on the occasion. College principal Dr G Jayakumar presided over the function.