Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Sept 2: In a reverse brain drain of sort, over a dozen scientist have shown interest to come back and work in India and approached different Ministries and Government Departments.
“Our Government encourages scientists working abroad to come back and work in India. Some 12 scientists ranging from the field of medical research to earth science have approached us. Some of them are very senior,” said Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who holds the charges of Departments of Atomic Energy and Space and Ministries of Science & Technology and Earth Science.
He said the Government was encouraging the move and wants more scientists working abroad to come back and work for India.
“We are negotiating with them. We are trying to be more accommodative and let us see how it works. Confidence also needs to be restored in them that their move would be a right one,” Singh added.
The Minister further said that his Government was working with different Ministries to ensure that there was a synergy in all the related Ministries.
However, when asked about his Ministry’s stand on clinical trials of genetic crops that are stuck because they do not have clearance, he said this was a part of policy making and it came under the purview of Ministries of Agriculture and Environment & Forest.
Earlier, Dr Singh announced the decision to offer collaboration on behalf of his Ministry’s Department of Bio-Technology with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for establishing “National Cancer Institute” at Jhajjar in Haryana.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the project is to come up at the cost of Rs 2000 crore and the Department of Bio-Technology will offer major inputs for Cancer Research and Care. He also announced the setting up of a Joint Research Advisory Body, which, he claimed, would be possibly the best in the world.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that this joint initiative with Health Ministry and AIIMS, New Delhi is a part of his Ministry’s endeavour to use Science and Technology as a medium of service to the society and to promote new technologies at affordable and cost effective price.
He said, the Bio-Technology Department will help the medical researchers to design clinical trials and collaborate for joint development and evaluation of vaccines, biomarkers, therapeutics, etc.
In addition, Dr Jitendra Singh also announced setting up of a major new Institute under Department of Bio-Technology for “Pre-term Birth” Research Clinical applications. This will be his Department’s major support to medical science considering the fact that India, with its highest number of Pre-term Birth and the highest number of Pre-term Deaths worldwide, contributes 25% of global pre-term related deaths, he added.
Also present at the Press Conference was Dr Vijay Raghavan,Secretary of Science & Technology and Bio-Technology.
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