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

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2158
TO BE ANSWERED ON 19-3-2008

LESS NUMBER OF RESEARCHERS IN FIELD OF S&T

2158. SHRI N.R. GOVINDARAJAR:

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

(a) whether India has less than 3 lakhs researchers in field of Science and Technology whereas many developing countries have more than 10 lakhs researchers in field of Science and Technology;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether Government has any proposal to encourage/promote young scientists including students who discover and continue to research with their new technologies;
(d) whether Government organise competition to trace out such talents; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by Government to increase the number of researchers in Science and Technology?

ANSWER

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

(a) & (b): According to the available official statistics, there are 1,15,936 researchers in Science and Technology in India whereas other developing countries such as Argentina, Brazil and China have 26,455, 55,728 and 8,05,176 respectively.

(c) to (e): The Government have taken various steps to encourage young scientists including students for pursuing research in Science and Technology. The various measures taken from time to time to trace and promote the talent are:

Programmes targeted towards talented students:

• Children's Science Congress
• National Science Olympiad Programme
  
• Kishore Vaigyanik Prothsahan Yojana (KVPY)
  
• Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) launched in XI Plan includes (i) Scheme for Early Attraction of Talents for Science (SEATS) (ii) Scholarships for Higher Education (SHE) (iii) Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC).
  
• Setting up of Institutes offering integrated MS and Ph.D degrees through National
• Competitive Entrance Examinations such as National Institute of Science Education and
• Research (NISER), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) etc.

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.
  
• Enhancement of 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.

Programmes targeted towards performing scientists:

• The Ramanujan Fellowships.
  
• The JC Bose National Fellowships.
  
• The Ramanna Fellowships.
  
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Fellowships.
  
• Grants-in-aid to support research projects in S&T
  
• 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.