"Stop propagation of unscientific ideas": Scientists take out nationwide 'March for science'

The scientific community has sought better budgetary allocation for education and research

Demanding allocation of at least three per cent gross domestic product (GDP) to scientific and technological research, scientists are holding 'March for Science' across the country on Wednesday. The march also demands allocation of 10 per cent GDP on the education sector.

Scientists have demanded that propagation of unscientific, obscurantist ideas and religious intolerance should be stopped in the country. The march is to push development of scientific temper, human values and spirit of inquiry empowered by the Constitution of India under article 51A. The march comes on the anniversary of Quit India Movement.

Students, teachers and scientists from over 26 locations across the country including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Wardha, Pune, Puducherry, Lucknow, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Guwahati and Chennai gathered in hundreds for the cause of science. While the march was scheduled for the morning in Bengaluru, Hyderabad etc, marches will be taken out in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata etc in the evening.

The march is also aimed at urging the government to enact policies based on empirical science. The protesters have also demanded that the government ensures that education imparts ideas that are supported by scientific evidence alone. The march comes in the backdrop of many textbooks across the country misrepresenting facts or drawing parallels between mythological concepts and modern day science.

OneIndia News