KARACHI, Feb 9: The Provincial Minister for Industries, Mohammed Adil Siddiqi, has said no nation can progress without excelling in research and modern knowledge.

He said that industrial organizations could explore new avenues of development by benefiting from the research and projects of science students.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of a two-day inter-faculty science exhibition held at the Dewa Academy under the auspices of the Board of Intermediate Education on Wednesday.

Over 70 stalls by girl and boy students were setup at the exhibition, which was participated by over 40 colleges affiliated with the Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana boards.

Mr Siddiqi exhorted the students to do more hard work for achieving academic excellence. He said knowledge developed awareness and wisdom, which was the peak of humanity.

The minister pointed out that students of the country did not lack wisdom and talent. What they needed was encouragement to further polish their abilities. He urged industrial organizations to use the projects developed by students for industrial purposes, which would not only benefit the industries, but also be a source of encouragement to the students.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, the chairman of the Board of Intermediate Education, Iftekhar Hussain Zaidi, in his welcome address said that research in its true perspective was hitherto ignored in our country.

While in the race between nations, there was much more need for research in the field of science and technology.

Mr Zaidi stressed greater coordination between industries and educational institutions, and said each industry should have a research wing, which would not only help reduce production costs, but can also bring an industrial revolution.

Later, the minister went round various stalls and evinced interest in the projects developed by the students. - APP