Thiruvananthapuram, Saturday 02 January 2010: Indian Science Congress 2010, which will be inaugurated on the Karyavattom campus of the University of Kerala here on Sunday, will take stock of the present status of science of technology in the country and help draw the future direction of scientific research in the country, according to the former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation G. Madhavan Nair.

Addressing a press conference here, in his capacity as the general president of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), Madhavan Nair said this annual national event had been planned on a very ambitious scale this time. More than 300 invited speakers will address different sessions of the congress spread over five days from Sunday to Thursday. The congress will be attended by nearly 7,000 delegates from all over the country.

The event is being organised under the aegis of the ISCA, headquartered in Kolkata. The ISRO and the University of Kerala are hosting it jointly. Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre P.S. Veeraraghavan and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala A. Jayakrishnan also addressed the press conference representing the hosts.

The inaugural day will also have a special session on “Science Programme for the Country.” This session will bring together the secretaries of departments such as Science and Technology, Space, Atomic Energy and Earth Sciences and the chiefs of various national institutions promoting science and technology research in the country.

The former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will be inaugurating a Children’s Science Congress, being organised on Monday as part of the main event.