Centre calls for more investment in scientific R&D

BANGALORE: The investment on scientific research and technology in India is to be doubled from it’s one percent of its GDP to two percent. This was announced by Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee, while inaugurating the 90th session of Indian Science Congress in Bangalore. A suggestion to institute an annual award, Indian Science Award, valued Rs 25 lakh was also agreed to by the Prime Minister.

Vajpayee said that R&D has become a global enterprise and with top corporations spending hundreds of billions of dollars, partnerships should boldly tap the huge new opportunities that have opened up in this field.

"There is a need to produce useful R&D inputs to enrich all the three kinds of technologies that operate in India — modern, conventional and traditional and in this context, we cannot neglect the immense scientific talent that exists outside the formal S&T establishment," he said.

The new Science and Technology Policy 2003 was also announced, which was updated after 20 years when the Scientific Policy Resolution of 1958 adopted the Technology Policy Statement of 1983.

The Prime Minister expressed concern on the internal brain-drain issue. "Apart from the migration of significant numbers of our talented scientists and technologists abroad, we also face a problem of diversion of talent away from R&D careers to non-scientific careers in both government and the private sector, " he lamented.

"We need to examine why a career in science is not considered worthwhile by so many of our talented younger scientists" he said. He also called for concrete steps to address this issue and give promising scientists and technologists the necessary opportunities.