ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Bureaucracy is the stumbling block to science, says Vajpayee

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said ''bureaucratisation,'' rather than lack of money, was the stumbling block for the progress of science in this country.

''Administrators and government officials should be facilitators and not masters of scientists,'' the prime minister declared in the strongest statement in favour of scientists in a long time.

Soon after presenting the 1997 S S Bhatnagar awards for young scientists, the prime minister proceeded to unfold a new plan for policy-makers in science, industry and government.

Endorsed afterwards by the minister for human resource development and science and technology, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, the plan envisages a ''national agenda'' for science around which all other disciplines would revolve.

Vajpayee wanted the bureaucracy to create an enabling environment in which Indian science could flourish. ''They should create conditions that encourage young scientists to do research and not push papers,'' he said.

Calling for a ''radical change in mindset,'' the prime minister urged administrators to make science and the practitioners of science central to all planning and operations.

More than improving the working conditions and monetary rewards for scientists, Vajpayee said the ''intellectual and psychic income'' of scientists needed enhancement.

The prime minister said it was equally regrettable that the Indian system offered an inferior status to engineers, resulting in their migration abroad for greener pastures.

''We need to accord greater recognition to highly talented scientists not only within the scientific community but also in the larger national community,'' Vajpayee said, adding that he wanted to bring Indian science and Indian scientists to the forefront of the nation's attentions.

Besides, with a large number of bright young engineers branching off into non-engineering fields, original development of technology and problem solving on the shop-floor have suffered.

The prime minister said he was concerned that private industry invested very little in research and development, with the result that few Indian products can stand up to global competition.

''I urge industry to forge powerful partnerships with the CSIR laboratories to gain entry into the global marketplace with winning technologies and then acquire a leadership position,'' he said.

The prime minister had a special word of praise for agricultural scientists whose efforts he said had given India self-sufficiency. ''How can we expand and improve our base of agro-based rural industries which not only add value but also generate local employment?'' he asked.

Vajpayee said his government intended to make use of information technology as a national campaign and already a task force has been set up to draft a comprehensive national informatics policy.

Information technology, the prime minister said, was an area in which India could attain global dominance in a short time and he expected scientists to help create products and services to serve as a productivity-multiplier at home and also command high value abroad.

Indian science needed to face globalisation with courage and confidence and Indians were rightfully angry at seeing foreigners filing patents on haldi, neem and Basmati rice. Globalisation, he said, could actually be turned to national advantage.

Both Vajpayee and Dr Joshi said they expected to come up with an ''energising charter of action,'' based around Indian science and scientists.

Vajpayee also declared May 11, when India carried out three successful nuclear tests as 'Technology Day'.

Vajpayee said the Pokhran tests symbolised one of the great promises of science to transform India into a secure, self-reliant and prosperous nation.

The idea of declaring May 11 as technology day came from Dr Joshi, who was present at the awards ceremony.

He said May 11 this year had additional significance for Indian technology because of the successful test flight of Hansa 3, the first all composite indigenous aircraft built by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

A third significant event on that day was the successful firing of the Trishul missile, Dr Joshi said, adding that the day would be celebrated just as February 28 is recognised as Science Day to honour the discovery of the Raman Effect.

Dr Joshi said India's standing in the world of science received further fillip on May 16 when four Indian scientists were elected as fellows of the prestigious Royal Society of London, one of them being the director general of the CSIR, Dr R A Mashelkar.

Two other scientists so honoured are H K D H Bhadeshia and Dr Srinivas Vardhan, both working abroad. A fourth awardee is Dr Ashoke Sen of the Mehta Research Institute at Allahabad.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report