TAMBARAM: A sum of Rs.1 lakh crore was proposed for science education and research in the eleventh five-year plan, V. Rao Aiyagari, Advisor and Head of Science and Engineering Research Council, Department of Science and Technology, has said.

Inaugurating a three-day international conference on Information Security and Computer Forensics at SRM University in Kattankulathur on Wednesday, he said this was, however, subject to approval from Parliament.

The earmarked sum for research and education in science was a four-fold increase from the amount allotted in the current plan, Dr. Aiyagari said.

The Centre was concerned about the declining interest in basic sciences as a career among students and youth.

It would play a greater role in developing and improving the quality of science education and research, he said.

He said there would be a greater role for private-public partnership in "pushing the frontiers of research in science" in the future.

Dr. Aiyagari said they also planned huge investments in grid computing. There was need for greater awareness on issues relating to security and forensics and that educational institutions should take these concepts to students. "Information security has more values than IT infrastructure," he said.

Tie-ups

Department of Information and Technology State Secretary C. Chandramouli said the Tamil Nadu Government and the National Association of Software and Service Companies had collaborated to evolve the Best Practices Manual, which would be ready in a couple of months. He said the government would soon go ahead with e-governance in a big way and people could carry out their transactions with 15 departments on the Internet.

Radia Perlman, Distinguished Engineer, Sun Microsystems, also spoke.

George Martin Mohay of the Queensland University of Technology in Australia released the conference proceedings, the first copy of which was received by T.R. Pachamuthu, chancellor.

P. Sathyanarayanan, vice chancellor, was present.

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