CM inaugurates Children’s Science Festival in Champawat
By Our Staff Reporter
Champawat, 19 Nov: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, inaugurated the two-day Frontier Mountain District Children‘s Science Festival 2022 today, held under the joint aegis of Uttarakhand State Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), Dehradun and District Administration Champawat at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Champawat. On this occasion, 5 scientists and persons were honoured by the Chief Minister for their remarkable work in the field of science. He also visited the science exhibition on this occasion.
Speaking on this occasion, the Chief Minister said that this science festival was very important in itself, as it was the first science-based festival being organised for students studying in remote areas. The Chief Minister welcomed and greeted all the students, teachers and all the scientists and intellectuals who had come from the six border districts of the state. He said that the main theme of this festival was traditional knowledge and modern science. Traditional knowledge and modern science were two such components of development which both lent a strong foundation for science-based development.Dhami said that this first Frontier Hill District Children‘s Science Festival would work to strengthen the scientific concepts in the state. He said that it was the endeavour of the government to ensure that scientific technology reached every remote area of the state. He said that science ought to reach the masses and scientific thinking ought to develop in every child. The festival was also held keeping this purpose in mind. Through various competitions (poster making, drama, science quiz, poetry recitation etc) organised during the festival, the children would definitely get exposure to things of their interest. He said that in this era of science and technology, the children of the state ought also to move forward along with the children of rest of the country and the world.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared in Kedarnath that this decade would be the decade of Uttarakhand and the state government with the help of the Centre was continuously working towards realising this. To make Uttarakhand the best state and to realise the concept of Adarsh Uttarakhand and Adarsh Champawat, programmes like this science festival would lay a strong foundation. He said that the geographical conditions of Champawat represented the entire state of Uttarakhand. There were plains, high and middle Himalayan regions here, that’s why the government had taken a pledge to develop Champawat district as a model district for ideal Uttarakhand. For which all the departments of the state government were working at their own level and UCOST was acting as the nodal agency in this. It was the endeavour of the state government that the local people get maximum employment and self-employment opportunities in their area.Dhami said that the government was paying special attention to research, development and innovation in the state. A Science City was being built in the state to awaken scientific temper, to spread science education and to encourage innovative research. To take research and research activities to every region of the state, the concept of Labs on Wheels had been introduced for every district of the state, so that research and research activities could reach even the remotest areas of the state. For awareness in space technology, UCOST and ARIES together were building ‘Astro Park’ in Haldwani which would be a mix of traditional and modern knowledge and science. A sub-regional science centre was also being built in Almora where science-based activities and programs would be conducted. Establishment of science centre was also proposed in Champawat so that science-based education and awareness could be created in the area.
Under the dialogue programme organised at the festival, the Chief Minister interacted with the child scientists from the border districts to know their curiosity.
On this occasion, Pushkar Singh Dhami announced construction of multipurpose hall, construction of gym room and expansion of sports ground in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya.
On this occasion, Dr Durgesh Pant, Director General, UCOST, gave detailed information about the two-day science festival.
President District Panchayat Jyoti Rai, District President BJP Nirmal Mahra, District Magistrate Narendra Singh Bhandari, Superintendent of Police Devendra Pincha, scientists, intellectuals, public representatives, child scientists, officers and employees of UCOST were among those present in the programme.
