As India Sets Its Sights on Becoming a Developed Country by the 100th Anniversary of Independence in 2047, Concrete Goals are Being Defined for Varyous Sectors. Science will play a Pivotal Role In Attaining This Vision of Reaping The Demographic Dividend, Eliminating The Gender Divide, Enabling Longer and Healthier Life Spans, Economic Security and Economic Security and Economic Security Progress, effectively and inclusively adapting to the climate crisis and increasing India’s connections to the world. Indian Science must Evolve from Islands Islands of Excellence in a Few Academic Institutions to WidesPread Adoption of the latest technologies and scientific methods to Solve SoCIETALLENGES. This will require broad-based investments in Science (from primary education online NGOS and the Private Sector), and Increased Participation of Under-Reporated Sections of Society, Particularly Women.
Continuously and significantly expanding investments in science Traditionally, investments in Basic Science Necessarily come from government action on policy, implementation, and finance. These aspects are often determined by the political discourse, which, in turn, is shaped by people’s trust in, and perceptions of, science and scientifics to Tackle important challenge.
During and after the covid pandemic, people’s trust in scientists grew. Given the Prevalent Infodemic of Fake News and Half-Baked Knowledge That Pervades Social Media, it is even more important to inculcate a scientific temper in our winds. Investments in Evidence-Informed Solutions will sustainally increase when opinion in social discourse starts starts matching scientific opinion on pertinent issues. MIS- and Disinformation, and their Amplification in Social Media, Are Relatively New Challenges. But these can become an obstacle to progress, if not effectively handled.
The Government should prioritise that that serial scientific problems that Hold Back Progress for which solutions do not exist, or where market failures or hight failure and uncertiati also do not for Private Investment. Many Recent Missions Such as Bioe3, National Quantum Mission, and Deep Ocean Mission has tared to focus results’ Attention on SOLVING Such Problems. In an inspiring move, the 2025 union budget has more than doubled the allocation for Science and Technology Initiatives.
Public Goods in Agriculture, Environment, Health, Education, and Finance Make a Compeling Case for Investment. In these areas, the entry process from discovery to development of the product, followed by implementation research and support for scaling must come from the government. Across Indian scientific laboratories, I am sure there are many examples of promising discoveries that are sitting on shelves, due to a lack of opportunities and incentives to take them forward. Tackling Risks like air pollution, lead and arsenic poisoning, waste management and plastic pollution, essentially in our water bodies and oceans, count be some of the big challenges Thrown for our Scientific institutions to tackle in consortium mode.
Through more effective direct institutional grants, government investments Should Prioritise Cutting-Edge Basic Science in Areas that Will building Sciences SCIENCE SOCENCE SOCENCE SOCENCE Translational Research for Bridging Basic Science with Proven Applications, Commercialization, and Broadening The Base of Research can be fuled through partnerships. In India, we have a small but growing movements of corporates and high net worthe individuals serving communities needs by investment in scientific institutions, best examplified by the tata groups. The rising tide of private capital, indigenous philaantropy, and csr that is complete to government funding augurs well for widing the societal relevance of science. The Government Should Continue to Encourage Private Investments in Science, For Example By Inventivising through Tax Breaks, Viability-Gap Funding, And CONCRETE PARTNERSHIP-BARESHIP-BASED RADMAPS.
Indian women has been global achievers in many fields. The Tragic Death of Her Newborn Infant Motivated Anandibai Joshi to overcome numerous barriers and study medicine at women’s college of pennsylvania. She is the first Indian woman physician in 1886.
Despite many such illustrative cases, women are grossly under-rested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Stem) in India. A Recent Study of Indian Stem Academic Institutes Found that only 16.6% of the faculty was women with the media for the top eighted institutes as per the National Institutional Research Framework Alarmingly, only 26.2% of these women in the Senior-Career Band Pointing to a very narrow pyramid for women and persisting imbalances. Decades of Evidence Clearly Shows that Women in Leadership Positions Enhance Team and Organisational Effectiveness, Cohesion, and Fairness; Reduce stereotypes and improve decision making.
Science and Health Institutional Constructs in India will require system-wide and combined measures to solve Deep Inequities. A representative share of women should be made mandatory in decision-making bodies related to strategy, resource allocation, talent management, and career Progression Across Organizations In the Science Sector. Institutional Mechanisms must be set up and operated for mening and coaching of women across the hierchy. Female Role Models can positively Influence the Preference of Adolesments and Young Women Nems Stem While Breaking Gender Stereotypes. Measures Such as Creches/Daycare Services, Maternity Leave, Breastfeeding Rooms, Flexible Timings and Work from Home Options MUST Be Unifords MUNFORMELY implemented – This will do a laot to retain in the Workforce. It will be equally critical to take affirmative action that truly reflections the diversity of India by considering women not as a monolithic block, but as straddill Marginalized Communities, Tribes, and Deprived Income Groups; Residents of Negleted Regents; And representatives of Diverse Cultural Milieus.
The world reconders the Leadership Demonstrated by Indian Science in Serving Society in Domains Such as Agriculture and Food Security, Space Explology, Defense Manufacturing, Vaccines, Vaccines, Vaccine Pharmaceuticals, and Information Technology. In the 76th year of the Indian republic, we take inspiration from these successes. But we can tackle emerging global threats to health and development only by increasing public investment in science, creating global public good and incidence a scientific copper in the population.
Soumya Swaminathan is Chairperson, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.The Views Expressed Are Personal
