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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated 'Professional Connect 2025' in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, using the platform to warn against the rising spread of superstition in academic and scientific institutions.
Addressing professionals and students, he emphasised the state's commitment to fostering scientific temper through new initiatives, including digital science parks and AI hubs, despite a national decline in research support and rational inquiry. "Science and technology are not separate from human life. The state is organising such events at a time when there is a concerted political propaganda to promote superstition and undermine scientific temper," said CM Pinarayi Vijayan at Professional Connect 2025. CM Vijayan added, "It is the government's policy to create an ecosystem that fosters technological and scientific knowledge. The boundary between science and superstition is becoming increasingly blurred. Alarmingly, even professionals with scientific knowledge are emerging as proponents of superstition. This is a dangerous trend. We've seen an IIT Director making claims about cow urine, and another teacher instructing students to smear cow dung in classrooms. National science forums have started resembling superstition congresses, and the institutions themselves are becoming objects of ridicule." The Chief Minister called for collective societal engagement in preserving rational thinking. "A transformation cannot be achieved by government intervention alone. Reformers in the past had to engage fiercely to bring about awareness. Today, we need various forms of intervention to raise awareness. Kerala houses India's first digital science park, and we are launching three more with an investment of Rs600 crore." Expressing concern over national-level trends in research and education, he pointed to declining support for scientific research. "Research funding in India remains abysmally low. Worse, what little is available is being misused to validate unscientific ideas. The number of fellowships has been halved, and many benefits to researchers have been slashed. In this bleak national context, Kerala is taking an alternative path--one that promotes real science, research, and critical inquiry. Our vision is to transform Kerala into a major AI hub through strategic initiatives," said CM Vijayan. (ANI)
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