Eminent scientist Professor  Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao on Saturday lamented that science was not getting importance the way it should.

"In media business, banking, money, information technology everything gets prominence but very rarely it mentions about science. Science does not get the importance even in the government," he said at the Children's Science Congress on the second day of the 107th Indian Science Congress here.

Rao, a Bharat Ratna awardee, reminded the audience there is no future of the country without science.

Professor C N R Rao said, "Unless India becomes great power in science, I cannot see how it can become a great power in the world."

"Unless India becomes great power in science, I cannot see how it can become a great power in the world," said Rao.

The eminent scientist hailed China for doing lot of research in the field of science and publishing as many numbers of papers as the United States of America.

Rao appealed to the children to take up science and pursue it seriously.

He cited examples of many eminent scientists who did not have a bachelor's degree such as Srinivasa Ramanujan but had achieved big in their lives with meagre resources.

"Science does not look at caste, religion and colour.

All it requires is a good human mind, he added.