THE NEW SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
T
V Padma *
The unveiling
of a new science and technology policy and the vast potential
of space technology in development dominated the 90th Indian Science
Congress, the nation’s largest and most prestigious gathering
of scientists that concluded in Bangalore on January 6 this year.
The focal theme of this year’s congress was "Frontier Science
and Cutting Edge Technologies".
The new Science and
Technology Policy 2003 was officially launched by the Prime Minister,
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during the inauguration of the five-day
congress on January 3. India had announced a Scientific Policy
Resolution in 1958, and updated it with a Technology Policy Statement
in 1983. The 28-page document comes 20 years after its last update,
after high anticipation and long delay. "This shows that
we can respond to the breathtaking changes that have taken place
in the world of science and technology in the closing decades
of the last century, and also to the challenges and opportunities
before us in the new century", Shri Vajpayee said, releasing
the policy.
The policy, announced
by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi,
shows the way ahead for a new and resurgent India, a roadmap to
"infuse a new sense of dynamism" in science and technology
institutions. For this, it has proposed a multi-pronged approach
– raise investment in science, strengthen scientific infrastructure,
debureaucratise scientific institutes and facilitate return of
scientists of Indian origin to the country.
The policy has spelt
out a detailed strategy to identify specific plans, programmes
and projects, with clearly defined tasks, estimates of resources
and time targets.
The policy pledges
to raise investment in science to at least two per cent of the
Gross National Product (GDP) by the end of the 10th Five Year
plan in 2007. It says Government will make necessary budgetary
commitments for higher education and science and technology and
raise the investment level to at least two per cent of GDP through
its own resources and contribution by the industry.
It also says a series
of both tax and non-tax fiscal instruments need to be evolved
to ensure a leap frogging of development. An apex science and
technology advisory body will set up a dedicated Task Force to
suggest appropriate fiscal measures to realise the policy objectives.
The policy spells out a new funding mechanism for basic research,
either by creating new structures or by strengthening or restructuring
the existing ones, to promote basic research in science, medical
and engineering institutions.
A major initiative
to modernise the infrastructure for science and engineering in
academic institutions is on the anvil. While all middle and high
schools, vocational and other colleges will have appropriately-sized
laboratories, select engineering and medical colleges as well
as universities will receive special support to raise their standards
of teaching and research.
The policy also
recognises the need to debureaucratise science and technology
institutions and simplify administrative and financial procedures
for research programmes. Science departments, agencies and academic
institutions would be strengthened, debureaucratised and granted
full autonomy and flexibility.
All highly science-based
ministries or departments of Government would be run by scientists
and technologists, and all the major socio-economic ministries
would have high-level scientific advisory mechanisms. The Government
would also continue with the Science and Technology Advisory Body
to assist in formulating and implementing various programmes and
policies.
Apart from simplifying
administrative and financial procedures, the Government would
create world class facilities in the country.
The new policy apart,
the Congress’s other highlight was a well-attended Space Summit
– in keeping with the spirit of this year’s president and venue.
The Congress’s president, Dr K Kasturirangan, is Secretary, Department
of Space and its venue, Bangalore, houses the headquarters of
the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The highlight of
the summit was a call for an international space force by President
A P J Abdul Kalam, who became the first President to address the
Indian Science Congress in its 90-year existence.
Dr Kalam, himself
a space scientist, called for an international force to protect
space assets from any terrestrial geo-political war spilling into
it. He stressed the need for the world’s space community to avoid
terrestrial geo-political conflict to be drawn into outer space,
thus threatening the space assets belonging to all mankind. "No
war can be extended to space", he stressed.
The Space Force,
he said, should be made up of all nations willing to participate
and contribute to protecting world space assets in a manner which
would enable peaceful use of space on a global cooperative basis
without the looming threat of conflict on earth.
Dr. Kalam also called
for a Common Minimum Global Space Mission with a 50-year perspective
to address impending human crises for energy, water and minerals
through international cooperation. Countries should join India
to launch major universal missions to share the benefit of space
for entire mankind and narrow the difference between developing
and developed nations, he said. India’s considerable infrastructure
and experience in the use of space for sustainable development
can be used by nations for a global mission on socio-economic
development, Dr Kalam added.
The summit also highlighted
the immense potential of space technology to at least partly address
the problems of developing countries such as India. India has
harnessed space technology to usher in a telecommunications and
television and radio broadcasting revolution in the country. Satellites
have spurred long-distance education programmes. India has made
an advent into telemedicine that uses satellite technology to
beam expert medical advice and treatment suggestions from super-speciality
hospitals in cities to rural areas.
ISRO is now planning
to develop a series of high bandwidth thematic satellites for
specific applications such as education (EDUSAT), health (HEALTHSAT),
agriculture (AGRISAT) and disaster management (DM-SAT). The databases
froms atellites on agriculture, meteorology and weather analysis
would be networked to provide a comprehensive atlas to facilitate
instant decisions during crisis management after natural disasters.
Besides Dr Kalam
and Dr Kasturirangan, the summit was attended by eminent representatives
of space departments from home and abroad. The Congress ended
on a note of optimism about the promise held by the new science
policy.
*
Science Journalist
