Indian contribution to the world of science is dwindling

Bangalore, Aug 23(UNI) Renowned scientist and Chairman, Prime Minister's scientific advisory council Prof C N R Rao today expressed concern over the dwindling contribution of India to the world of science during the last three decades due to the curtailment of investment in Universities and higher education sector.

Delivering the keynote address at the one-day seminar on 'Science and Technology, Past, Present and Future in Karnataka' organised by the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy here today, Prof Rao said India's contribution to the top 100 scientific papers published globally stood as low as with only 0.5 per cent.

Expressing regret that the financial support to the Indian universities by both state and union governments were restricted to meet only the establishment expenses, salaries and perks of the faculties he said that ''The funding to universities becoming so thin that they were being put on the path of death by feeding progressively less and less''.

Recalling that during 1950s over 2500 research students per year were enlisting in Benaras university he said that number has now come down to only 125. While the number of Indian research papers publishing at the international journals were of about 4000 per year since 20 years it was around 16000 by China and 23000 by United states. "The glaring difference in this area was due to dwindling of research activities in the Indian universities". "There is nothing called research budget in our universities and this kind of situation should be changed for the good of the country" he said.

Dr Rao said the amount of scientific work being done in United States was enormous and it could be matched in the Asian block consisting Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore and India ranked 11th he said.

Exhorting that science was a subject of exciting and it offered lot of career opportunities the renowned scientist urged the youth to pick it up for its enhancement. "Science can play a crucial role in alleviating poverty, contributing to the development of the nation as well as facing challenges by the advanced countries" he said.

UNI