Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday pledged to put in place measures for warning about natural disasters like the tsunami that killed thousands as he presented a roadmap to bring the benefits of science and technology to the common man.

"Science and technology must play a greater role in our strategy to address the problems of mitigation and management of the impact of natural disasters," he said inaugurating the five-day 92nd session of the Indian Science Congress here.

Scientists, he said, could not remain "silent witnesses" to disasters like the Dec 26 tsunami that has killed some 150,000 people across South and Southeast Asia, including between 9,000 and 13,000 in India.

"Confronted by the colossal human tragedy wreaked on thousands of people in our part of the world by the tsunami waves triggered by an earthquake in the Andaman Sea, the question has been asked if we could have made better use of modern science and technology to alleviate, if not prevent, human suffering," he told more than 3,000 delegates of the congress.

Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ocean Development Kapil Sibal later told reporters India would develop a tsunami warning system at a cost of Rs.1-1.25 billion and it would be in place in two years.

The "Deep Ocean Assessment Reporting Technology" system would measure changes in water pressure at the bottom of the sea, with any major change indicating the building up of a tsunami.

Manmohan Singh said: "Science and technology must pervade our psyche, our thinking.

"Science must serve the needs of the weakest sections of our society. Indian science needs a new boost, a new lease of life, and a push into the future. Our government will ensure the most supportive policy environment."

He advised India's scientific establishment to focus on two areas of great importance to economic development where the nation could benefit from more research and innovation -- agriculture and energy.

"We have emphasised the need for a second green revolution. We must improve the productivity of land and water as well as other inputs," he said

"The benefits of new research in biotechnology, in electronics and communication technology and in infrastructure-related technologies must translate into higher incomes for our farmers and a strengthening of our farm economy.

"Energy security is another area of our concern. We require a new technological revolution in the energy sector aimed at meeting the growing demand for energy in more economical and sustainable ways."

Healthcare too figured high on the prime minister's agenda of Indian science.

"New advanced health technology must help the poor and needy. I appeal to our scientific community to engage themselves in dealing with challenges such as malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS," he said.

Manmohan Singh affirmed his government's commitment to the development of basic science as well as applied science, to rebuilding the science base in universities, to promote public-private partnerships, to increase funding, to de-bureaucratise science and technology institutions and to restructure support systems.

He emphasised the need to create career opportunities for scientists so that India could retain them.

"We must build more centres of excellence in science like the Indian Institute of Science. India deserves a dozen such institutions, in various fields of science," he said.

Talking with reporters later, Minister Sibal hailed the prime minister's address as historic.

"It was very historic address by the prime minister in which he asked the scientific community to rise to the occasion and play its role in national development," he said.

"The roadmap present by the prime minister is a radical departure from the (previous) government's policies, in that he said Western models won't serve our cause in many sectors."