The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) praised the upcoming India International Science Festival (IISF), a collaborative government initiative running for nearly a decade, during its curtain raiser ceremony held on Saturday at Panjab University.
Addressing the gathering, Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said that the IISF follows a bottom-up approach, taking science to the people and nurturing curiosity and enthusiasm among young minds.
The four-day event, scheduled to be held from 6–9 December at Panjab University in Chandigarh, aims to bring together scientists, innovators, researchers, educators, and students from across India to showcase scientific achievements and foster collaboration towards building an Aatmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat, the ministry noted.
Dr Ravichandran hailed the festival as a celebration of science that inspires the next generation to innovate and explore. He underlined IISF’s role as a people-centric initiative aimed at transforming scientific understanding into a celebration of creativity and progress.
The event was attended by Shiv Kumar Sharma, National Organising Secretary, VIBHA; A. Surya Chandra Rao, Director, IITM Pune; Prof Renu Vig, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University; Meenakshi Goyal, Director, R&D Cell, Panjab University; and Prof. Gaurav Verma, Coordinator, IISF 2025, Panjab University, among others.
Sharma and Rao used the platform to highlight the importance of science communication and the need to engage youth in building a scientific temper across the country.