India’s spending on science below economic capacity

Why is it in news?

India currently spends far below its economic capacity on research, according to a chapter in the Economic Survey.

Details

• India spent only 0.5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on research and development in 2015.
• In comparison, China and the U.S. spent 1% and 2.5%, when their per capita GDP were similar to that of India. Currently China’s GDP is five times and the U.S.’ about eight times that of India.
• “At this rate, India would barely reach 1% of GDP by the time it becomes as rich as the USA,” the Survey noted.
• This is the first time the annual survey of the economy earmarked a dedicated chapter on the state of science and technology in India, as science and technology need a big push in India.
• India needs to increase the R&D, and perhaps India needs to do this much more in mission mode. It’s also very important to have a scientific temper of debate and openness without religious obscurantism, the survey observed.
• In the last two decades, India had improved its output of scientific publications and was currently sixth in the world. However, in quality, India was still woefully short.
• India needed to unveil programmes in “mission mode”, for example in areas such as “Dark Matter”, the invisible building blocks of the universe. This would be through building on existing strengths in astronomy and international collaboration.
• The Survey also proposed missions in mathematics as well as genomics. The latter involved emulating projects in Finland and the U.K. and creating a detailed gene map of a sample of Indians that can be used as reference to better understand disease patterns.
• The government also ought to be reaching out more to scientists based abroad, the survey observed.

Conclusion

• Development in the field of science and technology and research is crucial for any country in the world.
• Development of science and technology in a country helps it find localized solutions to its daily problems. It makes the best use of local talents and it helps reduce dependence on other countries for basic solutions related to science and technology, thus preventing a compromise on sovereignty.
• If nations do not implement science and technology, then the chances of getting them developed becomes minimal and thus could be even rated as an undeveloped nation. Science and Technology is associated in all means with modernity and it is an essential tool for rapid development.
• Science and technology holds immense potential in improving the lifestyles and the standard of living of people.
• Apart from that, advancements in science also help develop a scientific temper among a country’s citizens. It helps place a country in a favouravle position with respect to the International fora.
• Hence, it is imperative for India to ramp up its expenditure in the field of science and technology.

Source

The Hindu