Indian science institutions need more autonomy

WHO/TDR/Chandran

Indian science is bureaucratic, hierarchical and untouched by liberalisation, calling for improvements in autonomy, accountability and internal democracy, according to an opinion piece by M. Vijayan in Current Science. 

Since the ‘strategic’ departments dealing with atomic energy, space and defence research enjoy substantial autonomy there is no reason why the other science and technology departments cannot be granted the same level of independent functioning.  

Internal democracy is as important as autonomy and researchers should be given full scope for intellectual expression.

It is the right of scientists to be involved in major decisions affecting the community, through appropriate consultative process.  

Link to original article in Current Science  [30kB]