UK-based industrialist and Hinduja group Chairman S P Hinduja, today exhorted NRI scientists to help transform India from the shop floor of the world to an owner of intellectual property and technology.

"We now need to turn our attention to the scientific community of Indians overseas and get them engaged in the development of India," he said at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas here.

The vast pool of scientific Indian manpower in foreign lands can be channelled to constitute the cutting edge of technology for solving India's many social problems such as drinking water scarcity and sanitation, he said.

This pool of expatriate scientific talent can propel India into the forefront of the new age with alternative sources of energy or with biotechnology.

"We therefore need to create research institutes overseas with state-of-the-art facilities and appropriate compensation levels, with support from both the Indian government and Indian private enterprises. We then need to engage our Indian scientists join these institutes overseas for developing cutting-edge technologies, both for use by India and for sale in world markets," he said.

Only then the country will be able to harness the talent and potential of Indian scientists and technocrats overseas for our country's full benefit and for the further enhancement of our growing image in the world, Hinduja said.