BD-India should work together on water front: APJ Kalam

DU Correspondent

Former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has said Bangladesh and India should work together to derive maximum benefit from the limited water resources.
He said this in reply to a question while addressing the teachers and students of Dhaka University at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban on the campus on Monday.
He said Bangladesh should give priority to water management under able leadership to resolve the water crisis. He also stressed on technology and education for capacity building for national development.
He suggested for finding out alternative energy resources as world's reserve of oil and gas will end within 60-80 years.
"For national development, we have to focus on food security, employability, information and computer technology, infrastructure, education and health, critical technology and strategic industries," he said.
"But the use of technology, efficient management and able leadership is more important for the development," he added.
Making a comparison between Bangladesh's "Vision 2021" and India's development plan until 2020, the former Indian President said, "in our plan, we have emphasized on poverty eradication, employment, education and reduction of distance between rural and urban areas for a prosperous, healthy, peaceful and happy India."
"What worked yesterday," the renowned scientist said, "won't work today. So we have to emphasize more on innovations and discoveries for national development."
Stressing on making a knowledge-based society, he suggested for building up a 'world knowledge platform'. Terming universities as the power house of knowledge, he said, "the universities have to have the motto of teaching-research-learning."
Later, he handed over a set of books to the DU VC as a token of gift. VC Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique thanked him for visiting the university.