"It is a wake-up call," said K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Indian government, whose role is very significant in the current COVID-19 scenario. Raghavan has stressed the need to reinvent to create a national structure that can deal with such extraordinary situations.

"We are good at doing something when someone else has already done it. We need to flip it around so that India leads in every sector. This is a wake-up call for us," said Raghavan.

He was addressing a webinar 'How science, technology and innovation can lift India out of the Covid-19 pandemic through public-private partnership', organised by FICCI, jointly with his office and the Department of Science and Technology.

Highlighting the post-Covid-19 scenario, he said hygiene, use of contact tracing apps, testing and social distancing at workplace areas will be paramount and companies will have to ensure it.

"The challenge in going forward is how we will open workplaces without the vaccine. Logistics, while difficult, will need to be worked out," he said on life after the lockdown is lifted. 

He said industry, academia and everyone must work to clean up the environment.

 Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary at Department of Science and Technology, stressed the need for a much stronger public-private partnership (PPPs). "Let it translate into some purposeful rapid action; the government is with industry. This can be done, and it ought to be done," said Sharma.

Dr Arabinda Mitra, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, said the focus must stay on key areas such as technology intelligence within industry bodies or industries; effective PPP for technology development, human capital, infrastructure capital and multi-consortium model by pooling together startups, academia, industry and technology diplomacy.

"India's engagement in the past was reactive, but now it has to be proactive. We are very open to co-collaborate. These collaborations can only happen when we are on an equal footing," said Mitra.

FICCI President Dr Sangita Reddy said there cannot be a better moment to show that it is science and technology that can help us fight. "It is time for us to move into a more specialized program. We need to set up infrastructure to promote innovations by connecting people and institutions," she said (IANS)