Encourage research warriors to solve "grand problems" of 'nutrition & shelter', says Narayana Murthy

IT industry veteran N R Narayana Murthy on Thursday said India is still a long way off in solving its ''grand problems'' relating to areas like nutrition and shelter, as he stressed that it requires a cultural transformation of the Indian mindset.

He highlighted the need to recognize frontline research warriors in the war against India's ''grand problems''.

''Our country is making scientific and engineering progress, we have sent rockets and satellites into space, we have built steel plants, power plants, and huge dams, we have produced COVID vaccine, we do heart and kidney transplants,'' Murthy said.

''However, we are still a long way off in solving our grand problems of education, healthcare, nutrition, and shelter for every one of 1.4 billion Indians,'' he said in his address at the inauguration of Infosys Science Foundation's (ISF) office here.

''As people interested in science, mathematics, and engineering, we must think about how these fields can solve our grand problems. I understand that our grand problems cannot be solved just by science, mathematics, and engineering alone. It requires a cultural transformation of the Indian mindset, and that is where social science becomes extremely important,'' he added.

Murthy further said that he doesn't know of any nation that has solved its problems of poverty, ill health, and nutrition and attained economic prosperity, without using the power of human minds to address them.

ISF believes in the words of former US president Theodore Roosevelt that the true test of the country's progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, but it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little, Murthy stated.

''Our (ISF) small contribution in this war against India's grand problems is to recognize these frontline research warriors. Applaud them, honor them and reward them,'' he added.