Like in many other parts of the globe, the North Eastern Region of our country including Assam is also, at present, facing two major challenges. The first relates to the major damage to the environment and the earth's natural resources, including the threat of climate change. The second stems from the chronic and persistent poverty among the majority of the people of the region. The problems are so acute in the region that the nexus between poverty, environment and development is very apparent. Both these challenges underline the demand for pursue the goal of sustainable development. Solutions to these problems require unprecedented efforts on the part of governments, corporate organizations, civil society and the NGOs.

Poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth are essential elements of sustainable development. Science & technology will play a very important role and science & technology institutes and organizations and NGOs should come forward to take up activities so that the poor may raise themselves out of poverty using natural resources sustainably.

Science & technology is a very important tool in the process of socio-economic development. But if this tool is not suitably designed, the benefits of technological innovations for human welfare will not reach the masses, rather will remain concentrated or be available to a thin section of the society. It is now a well-accepted fact that, for one reason or other, this exactly has been the situation, where on one hand poverty and unemployment have been the situation, where on one hand science & technology have reached the pinnacles of glory and on the other hand poverty and unemployment have been increasing exponentially. A testimony to this is the condition of the masses in rural areas, which constitute more than 80% of our society, where social tension, disorders and unemployment are fast rising to an unmanageable level.

This has led to the deep analysis and review of the process of scientific and technological development and their application and in the direction in which it is moving. The science & technology input should be such that it would lead to the maximum utilization of the basic human resource, its skills and capacities, conservation of non-renewable resources and maintenance of a healthy material and non-material environment.

Considering the above important facts, Govt. of Assam has been giving due emphasis on the Science & Technology sector through various programmes/schemes/projects implemented through Assam Science Technology & Environment Council (ASTEC), an institutional wing of its Department of Science & Technology. Based on a study of location specific problems of Assam, ASTEC has identified some priority areas through consultation with experts including central S & T agencies with the prime object of bringing the benefits of science & technology to the society at the grass root level. These priority areas include research & development and information dissemination in the following select areas related, to location specific problems directed towards the need of the bulk of the people, especially in rural areas: Agriculture, Housing, Rural Energy, Sericulture, Health, Natural Resources Management, Fishery, Environment, Natural Disaster Mitigation.

I would like to appeal to the Science & Technology fraternity of the State to extend cooperation to ASTEC by sharing their Knowledge in their endeavour in finding need based and application oriented science & technology interventions with problem solving approach in real life situations of the society especially in the identified priority areas with social and economic development as the driver.