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Our Bureau

Bangalore , Jan. 13

WITH pharmaceutical and auto companies increasing R&D efforts there is an urgent need for skilled personnel in these areas.

According to the Union Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development, Mr Kapil Sibal, giving autonomy to educational institutions and encouraging more private sector partnership will improve the quality of education.

Quoting from a scientific journal, Mr Sibal said nanotechnology, biotechnology and geo-technology would be the leading growth areas over the next 25 years. "Huge inputs and investments are required in technology and for this we need to invest in human resources. Only high-quality professionals will help us achieve our target GDP and spur growth in these areas. Our education is like an inverted pyramid where there are lots of (common) science graduates; we need engineers and scientists of good quality," he said after the launch of the Microsoft Research India operations here.

Urging the private sector to participate, the Minister said the pharmaceutical industry itself had a demand for over 1,000 PhDs. "The private sector should be given autonomy in investing and creating good human resources," he said. Meanwhile, in a bid to bolster the biotechnology sector, the Government is in the process of drafting a new regulatory framework and biotechnology policy. Allaying fears of the pharma industry with the introduction of the patent regime this year, Mr Sibal said: "There are enough provisions for the Government to intervene in cases where there is a need to do so, for instance in making AIDS/cancer drugs affordable to the common man."

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