SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The crucial role of science and technology as an instrument of social and economic change has been appreciated and the rapid development of science and technology and of its application, accepted as a major objective of planning. This trust in science is embodied in the historic Scientific Policy Resolution of the Government of India adopted in 1958. In the last thirty years or so, 119 universities, affiliating about 1650 colleges, 5 institutes of techno- logy, 150 engineering colleges and about 100 medical colleges and 350 polytechnics have been established; about 150,000 qualified scientific and technical personnel are produced every year. The total stock of scientific and technically qualified manpower is estimated at 2.5 million, ranking India as the third largest complement of such manpower in the world, occupying a unique position among developing countries. Simultaneously, about 130 specialised research laboratories and institutes have been established under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Departments of Atomic Energy, Science & Technology, Space, and the Defence Research & Development Organisation, etc. In recent years, public and private sector organisations and undertakings, assisted by fiscal incentives, have established over 600 in-house research & development laboratories largely to meet their internal technological requirements. A relatively new but important deve- lopment in the last fifteen years is the rapid growth of engineering consultancy organisations to provide design and consultancy services and act as the bridge between research institutions and industry. There are now over 150 such firms of varying size and capability employing over 20,000 technologists. The total expenditure on science and technology is now close to 0.6 per cent of the GNP.
19.2 Political independence has thus been matched by increasing technological independence in many areas. A range of industries, from the small to the most sophisticated, has been established covering wide areas of utilities, services and goods, and a large number of technologists are now familiar with their operations. There is now a reservoir of expertise well acquainted with the most modern advances in basic and applied areas, and equipped to make choices between available technologies, readily absorb new technologies and provide a framework for future national development. Scientists and technologists have distinguished themselves not only in class rooms and laboratories but also in factories and fields, in conceptual planning and formulation of strategies and in their implementation. Indian scientists and technologists have demonstrated on many fronts that given clearcut objectives and tasks and necessary support, they can fulfil national expectations. The relevance of a large part of the effort in Indian Science and Technology to, and its correlation with, national development can be well established.
APPROACH
The present Position and the Perspective for the future 19.3 Over the past few decades, the growth of science and technology in the advanced countries of the world has been phenomenal. The frontiers of knowledge have been moved, forward in unbelievable fashion and new areas have emerged with clearly great potential for the benefit of mankind. These strides have taken place in the developed countries. The reason for this is that 97 per cent of the world R & D is confined to the advanced countries and the developing countries, with their share of 3 per cent, have not been able to contribute as they should have.
19.4 While the total stock of scientific and technical manpower in India appears large at first sight, as a proportion of the total population it does not compare favourably with that in the advanced countries or even some other developing countries. The fact is that the science and technology content of Indian society as it is today (as borne out by the total national investment in this sector, the number of technically qualified personnel, facilities for science and technology education, size of technical services, etc.) as well as its involvement in R & D is low in comparison to the size and population of the country. A large part of the total stock of S & T manpower is not actually engaged in activities that can be construed as scientific or technical. Even more significantly, the quality of these personnel varies widely; there will be need for a considerable reorientation and upgrading of a large proportion of this stock of manpower through appropriate training programmes. In large areas of economic activity, relatively obsolete cost in-effective technology conti-
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nues to be applied, the pace of scientific and technological innovation remains unimpressive and the adoption of the available scientific and technological knowledge is tardy. There are many gaps in new important fields and in the ranks of leadership and in excellence. While in the early years after Independence, there was a rapid expansion in university education, an increase in the number and size of facilities and in the formation of new institutions, all of which created a new plan, few new institutions have been started recently. In universities and several other institutions, the support provided has not kept pace with the increased need for better facilities. In a large number of areas, our capabilities are almost twenty years behind those in the advanced nations, and also behind those established recently in some developing countries. The competitive capability, in international terms, of our scientific community has been impaired and this has prejudiced the provision of experience of modern science backed up by modern technology and instrumentation to the large majority of graduate and postgraduate students, thereby affecting their level of appreciation of new science and their capabilities for research. There is a lack of coordination between manpower requirements (in terms of areas and levels of training and numbers) and the actual training of personnel which has led to serious shortage of qualified and trained manpower in many areas. In sum, white significant advances have taken place on the science and technology front in India over the past three decades, the gap between what obtains in the country and in other advanced countries in terms of infrastructure and capabilities has significantly widened due to the much faster rate of progress in those countries. There is, therefore, no room for complacency on the basis of our past accomplishments.
19.5 In the area of application of science, success has been achieved in several fields in agriculture and in specific mission- oriented specialised agencies for atomic energy and space. The need to conserve foreign exchange and consideration of national security induced the application of domestic science and technology in the substitution of imports. With the increasing emphasis on cost effectiveness in establishing domestic production and exports, a new challenge is nosed to the use of domestic scientific and technological talent. There is a serious danger that this new emphasis could lead to greater insistence on provenness and aversion to risk: this is particularly true if suitable mechanisms (both administrative and financial) are not developed to adopt and force technological development to a point of satisfactory performance and demonstration and also the acceptance of risk. Calculated risk taking and the development of risk reduction through systematic scientific effort is vet to be promoted adequately. A detailed strategy for major technological break-through appropriate to our-resources and changing national environment has therefore to be properly formulated.
19.6 While linkages and mechanisms for the effective application of science are deficient in most fields, this lack is specialty serious in the optimal use of natural resources and in areas such as energy, health and medicine, population control, ecology and en- vironment and integrated industrial and rural development. This has also led to an insufficient use of science generated in universities and national laboratories, giving rise to the often expressed feeling that the fruits of science and technology have not reached the bulk of the population and have not contributed to planned economic and social growth. Consequently, these deficiencies are tending to reduce the impact of science and technology in dealing more effectively with the economic and social problems of the country. While there are exceptions to this, it is clear that the major investment areas in our plans require a much more deliberate and sustained application of science and technology than hitherto. This requires not only financial support for S & T activities but linkages between the various sectors (educational, R & D establishments, industry and Governmental machinery) and policies conducive to the use of en- dogeneous efforts. Instruments for policy formulation and task implementation in this regard are lacking at present. When we consider the magnitude and dimensions of India's problems of economic and social development, associated with the vast and increasing population and immense poverty, especially rural poverty, it becomes clear that massive application of science and technology has to be an essential component for their solution. Science and technology must now be considered a vital input in all investments, on par with capital and trained manpower although it has a longer gestation period, the latter implies advance planning beyond the normal five year framework. Science can and must establish new heights for achievement and endeavour, which are big enough to,provide the challenge and excitement for the country's best talent. This will generate pride and self-confidence, as well as new innovative ideas and solutions which go beyond mere import substitution. With the much lower costs at which S & T activities can be carried out in India, compared to that in other countries, science and technology is the one resource, which more than any other, provides the greatest advantage and it is, therefore, only logical for us to base our strategy for economic and social growth on this important resource.
19.7 Some well-planned measures are called for to see that the best and well trained among our postgraduate students of science and technology are provided adequate incentives to take up research as a career and that areas are defined and supported that best serve national interests and priorities towards which such talent can be directed or encouraged to work on. On the one hand, we have pockets of excellence in terms of sophisticated manpower in sonic areas with no exploitative base, on the other, vital areas are crying out for expertise. Such mismatch needs to be avoided. Our R & D institutions have had a tendency to work on a large number of programmes that have been going on for years with a fair proportion of obsolete equipment and manpower. There is need to modernise them and provide them the challenges that will stretch them to the full.
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19.8 Science and technology must help to speedily improve production through better efficiency and fuller utilisation of capabilities already created in the various sectors of the economy. Technology has to be oriented to improving productivity. It has to help in the creation of more employment opportunities and in the reduction of drudgery especially of the weaker sections of the community. It should strengthen the nation, and reduce vulnerability. Hence, self-reliance must be at the very heart of S & T Planning and there can be no other strategy for a country of India's size and endowments. The achievement of our development goals has often been impaired due to several national disasters like floods, droughts and communicable diseases; S & T has an important role to play in eliminating or controlling them, if in-stead of short term ad-hoc approaches, long term strategies are worked out. Problems of extreme poverty, sought to be mitigated through the minimum needs programme, are also well known. Science and technology has an important role to play in finding rational and long term solutions for such disasters and national problems.
19.9 Science is both an outlook and a value system. Despite the tremendous growth of science, very few scientists have taken upon themselves the responsibility of creating a scientific ethos. The task of creating a scientific temper is a vital necessity for the growth of science and its utilisation in the development process. There is need to create a scientific climate and involve the people in discussions on various issues of science and technology which affect their lives. There has to be dissemination of knowledge about natural phenomena and technological innovations, through popular, science journals and other media. There is also need for promoting public debate on major issues of science and technology. The full potential of science has to be utilised for eradication of irrational attitudes, which tend to hold back the nation from the path of progress.
19.10 The total role assigned to science and technology must, therefore, be to develop on a long term basis a sound base in science, in competence and in skills. Shorter term plans must harmonise with this ultimate objective which may have a gestation period extending well over one five year plan. The aim must be to :
- attract, (And retain) the very best and young talent to contribute to science and technology and achieve originality and excellence in international terms;
- improve and transform the existing structure of science and technology, for this purpose (e.g. support for exciting areas of scientific activity, greater involvement of scientists in defining the tasks that they are expected to perform, better career prospects and amenities for scientists and technologists, improving the mobility of scientists within the country etc.); establish much more effective linkages in organisational form and policy framework and an effective utilisation of science and technology to meet economic and social objectives; and
- identify major new areas of science and technology of special significance to the country and in some of these areas invest in an optimal manner so as to achieve technological breakthrough in the shortest possible time.
S & T and Education 19.11 The first priority must be to nurture talent by a substantial improvement in the general science and technology facilities in universities and research institutions. The University science system has been allowed to run down through lack of support in the recent past, a trend which, if allowed to continue, may result in an irretrievable situation. The current pressure to which the universities are subjected in terms of the enormous intake of science students needs to be reduced. The ten-plus-two-system of higher secondary education has to be effectively brought to use uniformly in all regions, taking note of the opportunities that it provides for filteration at successive levels of 10 to 12 years of school level education. This filteration will only succeed if the alternative channels for vocational training and, later, opportunities for gainful employment, are taken care of.
19.12 The higher education institution with their research facilities are a unique base for the training of competent scientists and technologists. But with the rapid expansion of the number of institutions and students, without the corresponding inputs by way of facilities, the role of universities as advanced centres of teaching and research has been eroded, leading not only to the weakening of science teaching and research but also adversely affecting the climate so essential for higher learning. The need today is therefore to re- store to the universities their proper image as centres of higher learning. Although it would be unrealistic to expect all the members of the academic community to take up research in addition to teaching, there is an urgent need to revive the concept of, integrating of teaching and research so that in 10 to 15 years from now. our universities present a different image and are restored to their recognised position.
19.13 Facilities available in Universities are not adequate. That they should be increased cannot be over-emphasised. It is in the general interest of not only the universities, but also scientific agencies such as CSIR, DAE, ISRO, public enterprises and technical departments in the centre and the States, that the resources in the education sector are considerably augmented,since the manpower that they need comes front the University sector. Moreover, as the benefits of these researches will extend to several sectors of also share in funding research in universities the economy, State Government and industries should also share in funding research in universities.
19.14 Linkages between academic institution on the one hand and national scientific agencies, laboratories and public sector enterprises on the other, have to be strengthened.This can be done in several ways
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such as through increased mobility of scientific personnel between education and research organisations, joint research projects, and insistence on a minimum percentage of the R & D budget of government scientific agencies and public sector enterprises being spent in the academic sector. Universities and colleges should also be encouraged to under-take applied research, useful for several regions of the country. Since the problems of a particular region are unique and intrinsic the best way that the S & T thrust could be made in finding out solutions to those regional problems would be to make use of the local resources-people, the scientists and community at large.
Basic Research 19.15 Basic research is important not only for its own sake, but also because of the solid foundation it provides for applied research and development. By definition, basic research has to be carried out at the, frontiers of human knowledge and can only be carried out by those with originality and innovativeness of a high order. Successful accomplishment of basic research automatically results in the creation of manpower imbued with great intellectual quality, self-confidence and the ability to find new and innovative solutions to problems. There are many areas of basic research today that are very expensive in terms of resources, both financial and manpower. Therefore, one has to be selective in the areas chosen to ensure that real progress is made. With the continuing emergence of interdisciplinary areas, it is important to support the newly developing broad spectrum activities where many of the classical disciplines such as physics, mathematics and chemistry are brought to bear rather than attempt to build isolated peaks on a narrow basis. With our preoccupation to foster research programmes of a highly applied nature, much attention has not been paid to these advancing frontiers of science. While we strengthen the universities for carrying out advanced research in the frontiers of science, there may be a need to set up a few new research institutes in some important areas such as plasma physics immunology and applied microbiology. The new institutions must have a strong mandate for theoretical and pure research. A beginning of this kind must be made immediately if the gap is not to widen.