Monday, 9 December 2013 00:00
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By Ashwin Hemmathagama
Our Lobby Correspondent
Minister of Technology and Research Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday pledged to use “inventions towards an innovative economy,” which is the “third wave after technological advancement and open economy,” which Sri Lanka failed to successfully exploit.
“If inventions are given prominence, Sri Lanka need not focus on foreign investment or on the open economy. We have identified water, environment, health, software, apparel, agriculture, and education as key areas to harness inventions and innovation. Nano and nuclear technologies are the key for our success,” he said, promising to use nano and nuclear technologies by 2015 in the identified areas.
According to Minister Ranawaka, Sri Lanka allocates 0.13% of GDP for research and development despite the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ promising to spend 1% of the GDP.
“It is a myth that you need to spend more on science and technology to develop a country. We have a base of 4,000 scientists, which is stagnant in numbers for a long time. It is the time to arrange a conference with these scientists for broader consensus,” he said, outlining the plans to send satellite from Sri Lanka in the near future.
Giving an example where technology was used in the health sector, he said: “We have managed to find the reasons for the unidentified renal decease which killed many Sri Lankans. Using fertiliser and pesticides have led our water systems and the soil to contain heavy metals in addition to other natural contaminants. Sri Lanka uses 230kg of fertiliser per hectare, which is the highest in the region. This is not all; we will not allow any poison to be imported to Sri Lanka, including milk. The recent DCD fiasco continues and now the milk importers are creating a false scarcity, blaming us for delays.”
