C.N.R. Rao criticises India's declining scientific research

India Sci-Tech
C.N.R. Rao criticises India's declining scientific research
By IANS, Apr 25, 2007 - 10:30:39 PM

Kolkata, April 25 - Internationally acclaimed pioneer in chemistry and one of India's most celebrated scientists, C.N.R. Rao Wednesday took a dig at India's scientific research output and its declining contribution to the world of science.

'In 2006, India's contribution to world science was 2.76 percent while this figure used to be 8 to 10 percent about 15 years ago. If this trend continues, I think India's contribution would go down to between 1 and 1.5 percent in the next few years,' Rao said at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics - here during a function to felicitate him.

Rao said that India must promote rural talent and also increase support in education and the country's research and development activities in the future.

Emphasising more on investments in scientific activities, he said India is now spending only 1 percent of the country's total GDP for science and research oriented activities.

'I think India should spend at least 2 percent of its GDP for the development of science and research and in the next five years this figure should increase to 3 percent,' said Rao.

Professor Rao is the chairman of the Science Advisory Council to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is also a member of the Atomic Energy Commission of India.

Rao has been recently conferred upon the Doctor of Science, Honouris Causa, degree by Oxford University.

Besides Rao, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, film maestro Satyajit Ray and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received this prestigious degree from India.

'India requires more scientists in the near future. So we need to produce competent young scientists. If we can do that we can easily secure the first position in the world producing great scientific researchers,' he said, adding that India has been left far behind while its neighbouring countries have advanced a lot in science and research over the past few decades.

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