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India has one more science ‘vision’
30 September 2010 | EN
Singh releases India's latest science vision document
Wikipedia/Agência Brasil
[NEW DELHI] India’s top scientists are calling for a major increase in the proportion of wealth spent on science and recommend evidence-based science solutions for pressing problems around food, energy and water security.
The latest science ‘vision’ document, prepared by Indian prime minister’s science advisory council, and released this month (18 September) by prime minister Manmohan Singh, calls on the Indian government to hike expenditure on research and development, which has stagnated at 0.9 per cent of the national wealth for almost two decades, to 2.5 per cent by 2020.
The document emphasises the role of science in the next stage of national development and various socio-economic sectors; and also attempts to link basic science research programmes to development challenges related to food, energy and water security.
In tackling these problems, “further progress will depend on the best use the country can make of evidence-based science but its effectiveness will also depend on establishing new mechanisms of consultation, mutual education and dialogue among different disciplines as amongst various stake holders,” it says.
The document says the performance of most of the 25 science and technology advisory committees set up in socio-economic sectors “does not present an edifying picture. ’’Half of them have not met over the past few years, have little coordination among them and no new, significant programme, it says.
In August 2010 the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) had released its own ‘vision’ paper as part of its platinum jubilee. Reacting to the new document INSA president M. Vijayan described it as a “good representation of the scientific aspirations of India.”
Vijayan told SciDev.Net that the document addresses the four key problems in Indian science: bureaucracy, hierarchy, lack of autonomy and insufficient participation of scientists at different levels.
Despite almost two decades of economic liberalisation, the Indian scientific establishment “has remained untouched by the reforms,” and is mired in bureaucratic control and erosion of scientific autonomy, he said.
But its critics include Pushpa Bhargava, former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, and former chair of India's knowledge commission, who criticised the document as "trite and trivial".
Bhargava said it skims over India's problems. For example, "the section on energy security only mentions research on solar energy and omits wind, biomass and micro-hydel energies," he said.
Also, Bhargava said, the document only mentions administrative bureaucracy, and does not address the problem of "internal scientific bureaucracy" where institute directors do not allow room for dissent.
Comments (3)
Monir Uddin Ahmed ( Bangladesh )
6 October 2010
Yes, due to internal scientific bureaucracy , researchers can't utilize their ability. I think the focus should be on measures so that of each and every researcher within India becomes motivated and inspired and can make best use of his/her research ability. This is true for every South Asian country including Bangladesh. Monir Uddin Ahmed Senior Scientific Officer Bangladesh Atomic energy commission & PhD student Swinburne University of technology Melbourne , Australia
jharkhand cowpea ( India )
10 October 2010
Indian science is very unproductive since it is technology starved. No accountability since it is mostly government funded. Any amount of funding will not help private research by NGOs and motivated science foundations. This is based on my 34 years in Indian Council of Agricultural Research in India.
rk sarkar ( India )
19 October 2010
Dissent even in scientific thought is not acceptible in Indian science. Dr. Bhargava is 100% right in making the comment on "internal scientific bureaucracy". Indian science lacks accountability without which day to day work can continue but breakthrough is impossible. However, without breakthrough the progress on science is possible. We can borrow technology and knowhow from others but if we want to be leader we have to do better. Rigorous accountability is needed to achieve it.
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30 May 2012