Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, June 17: In a first and significant decision of its kind, from now onwards, no Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government will form part of any delegation going abroad to participate in a conference on science and technology.
This major announcement was made by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences (Independent Charge) and MoS in the PMO, who happened to be the Lok Sabha member from Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat.
“My appetite for foreign travel is already over,” said Dr Singh, adding: “we shall choose scientists who have original presentation for participation in such conferences”.
“Only this month, there were two conferences taking place – one at Santiago and other in Boston.
Making clear the new Government’s plans to bring about a strong work culture in the administration, Singh said that they will not be vindictive with bureaucrats, but they will have to adopt a strong work culture. “When we ourselves sit in office for 12-14 hours a day, they too will have to mend themselves,” said Dr Singh.
Now, in order to have scientists associate with the ministry, they have decided to fill up certain vacant posts from among the scientists.
“We have started getting applications from senior scientists,” he said, adding that they have also started approaching those who had been left out in the past when there used to be an impression that one had to carry a small beard and leaning towards the Left to be a scientist.
“A veteran scientist from Nagpur, who is also the recipient of Padmashree, had approached us and he too has been associated,” said Dr Singh.
Dr Singh said the Government has initiated the process of filling up the vacant positions in various scientific institutes across the country, including for the post of Secretary for the Department for Science and Technology.
“We have initiated the process. We want to be open so that we (the Government) and the scientific fraternity have ample opportunity to look for the right candidate,” Dr Singh told reporters during his visit to National Physical Laboratory (NPL) here.
The NPL is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
He, however, declined to give a specific time frame for the appointments.
After the retirement of Department of Science and Technology Secretary T Ramasami, additional charge has been given to K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology.
“We are working for over 14 hours a day on this issue. Eminent people will be appointed and decision in the interest of scientific fraternity will be taken. We are looking into it in a phased and structured manner,” he said.
When asked whether Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Science has asked for more funds in the budget this year, Dr Singh said as the Department and research grows, need for funding also rises.
“Innovative work goes on in our laboratories, which require uplift. So the need for more budget also arises,” he said.
The Minister added that as India aspires to be a super power by 2020 science will play a significant role to bring on social transformation in the country.
Dr Singh said in the global world of 21st century, it is difficult for a nation to keep pace with other countries without an optimum progress in the field of science and technology and therefore, in the years to come, not only India will have to give due priority to science and technology but the society as a whole will have to develop a “scientific temper” in order to accomplish the dream of India becoming a world power in 2020.
During his visit to NPL, Dr Singh was accompanied by Dr PS Ahuja, officiating Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof RC Bhudhan, Director NPL, senior Scientists and officers of Science and Technology Department.
Dr Singh said: “we have to break away from the traditional mindset of getting carried away by customs and practices devoid of scientific rationale. For this purpose, what is required is a serious endeavor to use science as an instrument for social transformation”.
He said Science and Technology is an academically rich department with around 38 Regional Research Laboratories spread across the country. He said the posts of Directors which are vacant in around 10 regional laboratories in the country will be filled soon.
In addition, the process has also been started to fill-up the vacant post of Director General, CSIR and to reconstitute the society of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), he added.
In the times to come, Dr Singh said new methods and plans will be contemplated to attract the best talent to work as scientists. “An eminent scientist is an asset for the future of any nation and it is our responsibility to make him comfortable and provide him with congenial working conditions for research and experiment,” he added.
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