The Hindu : Biggest allocation for DST

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Friday, Mar 01, 2002

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Biggest allocation for DST

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI FEB. 28. The Budget allocation for the three departments under the Ministry of Science and Technology for 2002-03 has been fixed at Rs. 1,290 crores, which is nearly 40 per cent more than that in the previous year.

The biggest hike is for the Department of Science and Technology (DST), which has been allocated Rs. 615 crores, over 50 per cent more than last year's Rs. 400 crores. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), in turn, has got an allocation of Rs. 440 crores as against Rs. 360 crores last year, and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Rs. 225 crores against Rs. 175 crores last year.

Much of the hike in the allocation for DST is for the Fund for Improvement of Science and Technology, which was established in 2000-01 to augment laboratory facilities in universities. The allocation for the programme has been more than doubled to Rs. 75 crores from Rs. 35 crores. The Fund could now also be used for augmenting library facilities in the universities.

The increase in allocation for the DST has, however, fallen far short of what had been demanded by the Science and Technology Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, during pre-Budget discussions. He had asked for an allocation of Rs. 1,195 crores on the ground that this was needed to fulfil the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee's promise at the annual Indian Science Congress to steadily hike the investment in S & T to two per cent of GDP by the end of the Tenth Plan period, from the present level of 0.8 per cent.

Presenting the Budget, Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha, also announced a proposal to set up a micro venture capital fund to translate innovations of non-formal innovators at the grassroots level into viable enterprises. The Fund would be set up by Small Industries Development Bank of India in collaboration with the National Innovation Fund, which was set up in 2000 to build a national register of outstanding traditional knowledge and grassroots innovations. Last year, the Fund had received more than 11,000 entries, up from 948 entries in 2000.

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