Vice President Hamid Ansari Friday said that science and technology are indispensable for addressing major contemporary challenges of economic growth and social transformation.

 

 "Science and technology are indispensable for addressing major contemporary challenges of economic growth and social transformation," Ansari said in his valedictory address at the 101st session of the Indian Science Congress at the University of Jammu here.

 

 "The health of a nation now depends, more and more on, among other factors, the health of the state of its science and technology," he said, adding the interface between science and society has been a major influence in shaping the world, "particularly in our times".

 

 The influence of science and technology on people's lives is growing everyday, he noted.

 

 The five-day conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Feb 3.