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NT Bureau
Chennai, July 28:

        There is difficulty in attracting youngsters to scientific careers and retaining them in their jobs, principal scientific advisor to the Indian government R Chidambaram said.

        India is one of the leading nuclear energy producing countries in the world and it is one among the few countries with a comprehensive capability in the nuclear fuel cycle, he told the 44th convocation of IIT Madras on Friday.

        He said India has the world's largest thorium reserves, but limited reserves in uranium reserves.

        Chidambaram pointed out that self reliance is not about self sufficiency, rather, it is an immunity against technology denial by developed countries in the field of high technology.

        He said India could be considered as developed, only when the quality of rural life is enhanced to meet their rudimentary needs and added that the nation should have technological foresight to be an innovation leader in the manufacturing sector.

        The former director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre also elucidated that globally, universities and national laboratories are strong in research, but weak in development.

        'Innovations may be there, even patents, but sadly the conversion of an innovation into a marketable product doesn't happen easily, ' he said.

        The top academician further stressed that most of the scientists wanting to contribute in rural development, are in his opinion not the best for grass roots technological intervention.

        There are some technology areas like atomic energy, space, IT, where the world no longer views India as a developing world, ' he said.

        The director of IITM, MS Ananth, said that a total of 1320 degrees were awarded which included 125 PhD, 104 M S, 337 M Tech, 66 M B A, 92 M.Sc, 111 dual degrees and 374 B.Tech.