GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 367
TO BE ANSWERED ON 10-09-2007

NOBEL PRIZE IN SCIENCE SECTOR

*367. SHRI SHREEGOPAL VYAS:
SHRI RUDRA NARAYAN PANY:

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

(a) whether it is a fact that no Nobel prize has been awarded in the science sector after independence;

(b) whether the necessary attention on research is being given;

(c) the total expenditure likely to be incurred during the forthcoming ten years; and

(d) the steps proposed to be taken to enhance the interest in research work?

ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT AS REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 367 FOR 10.09.2007 REGARDING "NOBEL PRIZE IN SCIENCE SECTOR"_

(a): Yes, Sir.

(b): Yes, Sir. The Government has taken a number of steps to promote scientific research in the country. It has established a large network of scientific research institutions and laboratories in the country catering to diverse research areas. There are also numerous schemes to fund research activities of individual scientists. A large number of centres of excellence have been established in emerging areas of scientific research. The Government of India has also undertaken a major exercise to strengthen the research infrastructure in universities and colleges at large. It also has major international collaboration arrangements in S&T with USA, France, Germany and several other leading countries. Further, major internationally collaborative projects have been supported for participation in research activities at major facilities like Fermilab in USA and CERN at Geneva.

To recognize and reward researchers, several awards and fellowships have been instituted, for example, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for excellence in science, the Swarnajayanti Fellowship for outstanding Young Scientists, Ramanna Fellowship for performing scientists, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Fellowship for Young Scientists, Ramanujan Fellowships to attract outstanding scientists and engineers from all over the world to take up scientific research in our country, J.C Bose Fellowships to recognize and support active, performing Indian scientists & engineers, and so on. Also, the fellowships of JRF/SRF have been enhanced recently.

To make the higher education system more research-oriented, the Government has recently established three new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) at Kolkata, Pune and Mohali. These institutions, apart from carrying out frontline and internationally competitive research, would offer integrated M.Sc. programmes in a multi-disciplinary and academically flexible and research-oriented environment. Setting up of two more IISERs, three more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and six more National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) is being planned. There are also proposals to increase the number and distribution of central universities across the length and breadth of the country.

(c) & (d): The Plan allocation of scientific departments was doubled from about Rs. 12000 crore in the IX Plan to about Rs. 25000 crores in the X Plan and the Steering Committee on Science and Technology for the XI Plan has recommended that it be increased to about Rs. 122000 crore in the XI Plan.

Several new initiatives have been proposed in the XI Plan to further intensify research activities in the country. A new scheme called INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) has already been launched. The main features of the proposed scheme are: (1) innovation funding in schools (one million young innovators); (2) summer camp with science icons (for high performers); (3) assured opportunity schemes for proven talent force; and, (4) retention of talent in public funded research through public-private partnerships. In addition, scientific research in our country will be considerably boosted by India's participation in international mega research endeavours like the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) in Germany, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in France, Large Hadron Collider Experiments in Switzerland, etc.