Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged scientists to mould their research in accordance with the needs of the society and the economy and pitched for cross-disciplinary research.

Addressing the recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for excellence in science and technology here, he said the days of working in silos are over.

He said he had asked his principal scientific advisor to prepare a scheme in this regard.

"Your participation is a must," he told the gathering.

He said that in the coming days, data will be the "new fuel" and the country and the scientific community will have to accordingly invest in it.

"The days of one person planting a sapling and the other watering it are over...cannot work in silos," he said.

The prime minister also pitched for having "local technology" to fulfil the needs of the people and society.