Lieutenant Governor, R K Mathur inaugurated the curtain raiser of the 6th India International Science Festival-2020 at Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh on November 28.

R K Mathur briefed about the importance and relevance of celebrating this festival and asked all the stakeholders to promote and make science and technology reach every remote location. 

He further emphasized the relevance of science and technology in the context of the Ladakh region. Being a high altitude cold and arid region of India, the utility of Science and Technology in Ladakh is even more relevant and imminent for the population to sustain and adapt to the prevailing harsh environmental condition. 

C Phuntsog, Vice-Chancellor, Ladakh University briefed about the importance of taking science out of university campus so that livelihood of the population is made healthier, economical, and sustainable.

The event witnessed a fruitful brainstorming among the participants representing diverse areas like administration, policy, education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and local students. 

Dr. OP Chaurasia, Director, DIHAR spoke about the importance of utilizing science and technology to make a better and sustainable world. He specifically mentioned the development and dissemination of appropriate technologies related to agriculture in high altitude regions like Ladakh, through which farmers are able to grow more with sustainable resource management.

India International Science Festival launched in 2015 is a celebration to promote Science and Technology and demonstrate how science should lead India towards a developed nation within a short span of time. The aim is to engage the public with science and celebrate the joy of science and shows the ways how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics provide us with solutions to improve our lives. This unique platform of India International Science Festival intends to create an innovative knowledge society to inspire curiosity and make learning more rewarding for the young while motivating the public to engage with and celebrate the joy of science. 

The IISF is the sixth of the serious, organised continuously since 2015-2019. Every year, IISF has witnessed diversity in its programmes in terms of the number of events, participants, etc.  Today, IISF has become a much-awaited annual event that celebrates the achievement of Science, Technology, and Innovation and demonstrates how science can be the fulcrum of the country’s progress.