Edu-leaders

Member of the Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Council Kiran Karnik said that funding for scientific research in universities has been strangulated and this has hit India's contribution in the field of science and technology globally.

Speaking at the launch of the book 'Constructing Culture of Science: Communication of Science in India and China', Karnik said that both the countries are developing economies and face common problems of poverty and rising population, but India has fallen much behind China in global contribution to science.

"There is a separate budget for science and technology in the country's Five Year Plan but majority of funding goes to organised centres and funding in university is strangulated," said Karnik.

He said that at school level, the country does not even have basic facilities like teacher, good books and other materials to communicate science.

"Despite all this, the country still produces some great brains but unfortunately majority of them go in applied sciences like engineering, medicine because of peer pressure, parental pressure and career probabilities," he said.

The book having contributions from scientists in India and China compares science communication efforts being made in the two countries.

Source: igovernment