Visakhapatnam, Jan 3: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the 95th Indian Science Congress at the Andhra University here today.

The theme of the five-day event is ''Knowledge-Based Society Using Environmentally Sustainable Science and Technology''.

The Conference will be attended by around 700 distinguished delegates from abroad including 14 American students with over 8000 science delegates from within and across the globe.

They included Noble laureates Robert Curl Jr. of Houston, Roger D. Kornberg of Stanford University, California and Paul Nurse, who is president of the Rockfeller Foundation.  

The Prime Minister will also present awards to distinguished scientists for their academic excellence.

Dr. Singh will present the presidential gold medal of the Indian Science Congress to a noted social scientist and Chairman of the Mekaster group Virender M. Trehan.

Trehan was responsible for introducing the digital switching system in India, which marked an important milestone in the Indian telecom industry.

This year, the event will have for the first time a national virtual Congress on ‘Mahila Kisan’.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will provide tele-link to establish contact with farmers in a remote area of Adilabad, some desert areas of Rajasthan and other states for scientists to directly interact with women farmers.  

The M.S. Swaminathan Foundation on video-conference mode will coordinate the programme and the ISRO is installing giant screens to telecast the proceedings.

The 94th Indian Science Congress was held at Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu on the theme ''Planet Earth''. (ANI)