On Saturday, honorable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh expressed that adequate emphasis was not being given to the role of technology in supporting India's counter terrorism and internal security efforts and also there was an urgent need for greater investment in security technologies.

While away the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards, the country's highest science awards, for 2007 and 2008 to young scientists, Dr. Manmohan said, "Other countries have used modern science and technology in their security structures with great effect. It acts not only as a force multiplier but can also provide solutions to human problems relating to command, coordination and communication."

He added, "Some of the areas where greater work is required are surveillance systems, cryptography, near real time search and identification from distributed large data bases and computer simulation exercises to enhance our crisis tactics and responses."

It should be noted that the Pm has referred to the role of technology in countering terror for the second time, following the Mumbai strikes last month in which over 170 people were killed.

He further informed, "We should use scientific interventions to neutralize weapons of terror and mass destruction. I believe that investment in security technologies is vital if our security systems are to keep pace with the increasing sophistication of international terrorism and crime."

The honorable PM also reported that in order to commercialize technologies emerging from research and development programmes, the public-private partnerships (PPP) should be used.

He said. "How can science, industry and government work as one efficient and integrated machine to deliver to the people the benefits of these scientific and technological advances? This is an area where countries such as China and Japan have scored over us."

He concluded, "Unless we apply ourselves to this task, the powerful scientific tools of social and economic change will remain confined to our laboratories and to our institutions. Our scientists, I suggest, should work to connect science to the daily lives of millions of our people."