GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 680
TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.03.2007

SHORTAGE OF SCIENTISTS IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS

680. SHRI JANARDHANA POOJARY:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a) whether there is acute shortage of scientists in research institutes in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether owning to poor salaries, perks and early retirement age in Government scientific institutes, a number of young and promising scientists are opting for private and overseas assignments; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and the steps proposed to be taken by Government to arrest attrition and attract promising talents into the country's R&D institutes ?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES
(KAPIL SIBAL)

(a) to (c): No Sir. The mobility of scientists from the research institutes to private and overseas assignments is a global phenomenon and is triggered by various factors including better financial and career prospects. However, considering our goals and ambitions, country as a whole requires a larger number of scientists for its transformation into a developed nation by the year 2020.

(d) Government has framed policies and various schemes to provide better facilities and opportunities to the scientists and to encourage young students in schools and colleges to pursue science in the country. The various measures taken from time to time are:

Policies:

• Science and Technology Policy, 2003.
  
• Increase in the outlay for science and technology sector in successive Five Year Plans.
  
• Delegation of enhanced administrative and financial powers to S&T institutions to
  improve working conditions of scientists.
  

School centric programmes to attract school children:

• Children Science Congress.
  
• U-PROBE (Introducing meteorology in schools).
  
• National Science Olympiad Programme.
  
• Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY).
  
• CSIR Programme on Youth for Leadership in Science (CPYLS).
  

Programmes targeted towards young scientists:

• Swarnajayanti Fellowships.
  
• Fast Track Scheme for Young Scientists.
  
• SERC Visiting Fellowships.
  
• SERC Schools in emerging areas of science and technology.
  
• Better Opportunities for Young Scientists in Chosen Areas of Science and Technology
  (BOYSCAST) fellowship to visit international laboratories and institutions.
• Mission HOPE (Higher Education - Opportunities for Promoting Entrepreneurship) with the aim of converting aspirations to real enterprises (CARE).
  
• Contact programmes to attract and motivate brilliant young scientists to take up R&D as a career.
  
• Junior/Senior research fellowships, research associateships and senior research associateships.
  
• Diamond Jubilee Research Interns Award Scheme, JRF-GATE and Entrepreneurship support to research scholars.
  
• Early Faculty Induction Programme, which aims at attracting bright and young under-graduate students in Engineering and Technology/Pharmacy/Architecture, etc. to take teaching as their career.
  " S&T based training for entrepreneurial development.
  " Women Scientists Scheme.
  

Programmes targeted towards performing scientists:

• The Ramanujan Fellowships.
  
• The JC Bose National Fellowships.
  
• The Ramanna Fellowships.
  
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Fellowships.
  
• SERC Individual Projects.
  
• Financial assistance to scientists to participate in international conferences and training
  programmes
  
• Opportunities to distinguished scientists and technologists of Indian origin settled abroad
  for short term technical assignments to assist in frontier and emerging areas of S&T.
  
• Post-doctoral Fellowships in Biotechnology and Life Sciences.
  

Infrastructure development programmes:

• Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRHPA).
  
• Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Higher Educational Institutions (FIST).
  
• Setting up of centres of excellence/advanced studies in the universities and academic
  institutions.
  
• Creation of core groups of professionals with necessary modern facilities required for
  pursuing research in new and frontier areas of science.
  
• Creation of new scientific Departments/Organisations.