The All India Committee of Scientific Breakthrough Society has expressed its dismay over the scrapping of over a hundred awards in science and technology by the Union government. They were being given to faculty members and scientists who had excellent achievements in the scientific research.
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“The decision is a part of the overall plan of the Union government to slash the support for science and technology. Earlier, the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) scheme, which was meant to financially support promising youngsters on the way to becoming scientists, was scrapped. Financial support for the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) has been stopped, and the INAE has been advised to function like a company,” said a press release from the Society.
They have also alleged that scientific institutions have been asked to use students’ fees as a source for the major share of their budget. It has also spoken against the GST on scientific equipment being increased from 5% to 18%, allocation of only around 0.8% of the GDP towards supporting science and technology. They have said that in comparison, other countries like South Korea, Japan and Sweden spend 4.15%, 3.47% and 3.16% of their GDP respectively in the sector. “In this situation, further reduction of financial support for S&T is wreaking havoc on the scientific productivity of the country.”
The society has also demanded the restoration of all the awards, the continuation of the KVPY scheme, continuation of financial support for all scientific and engineering academies, repeal of the increased GST on scientific equipment, adequate financial support for scientific institutions, and allocation of 3% of the country’s GDP for scientific and technological research.