Science, Obama and the new Indian Government
— Photo: AP
A revival: Obama’s declaration is remarkably reminiscent of the commitment to science in the Nehru-Shastri-Indira Gandhi era.
On the 27th April, President Obama addressed the US National Academy of Sciences, detailing his administration’s commitment to scientific research, education and innovation. Listening to it, I found it had a remarkable resonance with those of our own Late Prime Minister Nehru in the 1950s and 60s, and a remarkable turn- around from the Bush era.
Obama declared, “science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health and our environment than it has ever been. At the height of the space race in 1964, we reached about 3 per cent of our gross domestic product invested in science and technology innovation. The number has dropped tremendously … and so we will now double the budgets of the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy’s office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (to $ 42.6 billion) …
“No one knows where insights will come from, which is why the private sector doesn’t strongly invest in pure research, and the public sector must. The photoelectric effect led, over half a century later, to solar cells, for example. And, to support private investment, we will permanently extend the research and experimentation tax credit, which will return two dollars to the economy for every dollar we spend, by helping companies afford the often high cost of developing new technologies or new products …
“There will be no “sputnik moment” in this plan. The successes will be smaller, building up into a cumulative achievement.”
The first step
The U.S. currently spends 2.6 per cent of its $14.2 trillion GDP on R&D. Industry spends $270 billion and the federal and state governments about $100 billion. Obama will raise this by about $60 billion. As a first step, he has already allocated, even before his Academy address, a sum of $21.5 billion as stimulus grants.
How remarkably reminiscent of the commitment to science, technology, agriculture and medicine (STAM) of the Nehru-Shastri-Indira Gandhi era! And what all can we gather as pointers for the new central government of India that will be installed shortly in New Delhi! It is vital that the new government capture the Nehruvian and Obamaesque spirit and commitment, and give a much needed stimulus to STAM, as well as to ‘soft sciences’ such as economies and sociology.
The entire world is hoping that significant advances to knowledge and its applications for human welfare will come notably from the BRIC quartet of nations, namely, Brazil, Russia, India and China. Of these, Russia has always had a focus (political and military earlier, more general now), and China has steadily, and in a regimented manner, promoted and funded science since the 1990s. Today, several of its scientists stand tall in the world of nanoscience, gene biology, automobile engineering — to cite but a few.
And Brazil, a nation far smaller than us, is giving us a run for the money — be it in biofuels, biomedical sciences or experimental physics. Thus we cannot slip up but declare research a national priority and work towards it in a sustained manner. The agenda for the new Indian government is thus laid out.
Happily enough, much good work has already been initiated by the previous regime. We have had receptive ministers who, in their own way, championed physical, engineering and medical science and have raised funding. Six well-thought out and carefully planned Institutes of Science Education and Research have been created, two of which have already earned a name for themselves (and the others will soon follow suit) for their IIT-type curricular novelty and spread, attracting bright youngsters. Six Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research have started, and so have 5 more IITs (though these appear to need considerable post- natal care, thanks to their premature birth).
The recommendations
The Scientific Advisory Groups and the National Knowledge Commission have come out with well-thought-out and argued recommendations. The three National Academies of Sciences have come together and suggested an action plan for restructuring university education in science. The Yash Pal Committee has given clear diagnosis of the self-inflicted systemic disorder in the higher education system and ways to remedy it.
The new government should act on these documents and implement their recommendations. We have able and forward thinking scientists running the STAM and defence departments who, unlike in the US, do not necessarily have to remit office with a change of government.
Political compulsions tend to determine ministerial appointments. President Obama, who too had to juggle with compulsions, has done so.
It is time we do so too. Areas such as education, science and technology, health and medicine, and agriculture need accomplished professionals who can single-mindedly move the country to be a lead player in the world, by encouraging seeking out and unleashing the talents in our people.
And that would mean appointing people with proven expertise in the field. And the scientific and education community will be behind the new government, if it does so, and willingly work with the ministers in reaching new horizons.
dbala@lvpei.org
D. BALASUBRAMANIAN
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