The Ministry of Human Resource Development has constituted an Advisory Committee of Science and Technology that will lay down the vision for development of this vital area in the university system in the next decade with targets for achievement.
The committee is headed by Prof Roddam Narasimha and includes Dr Anil Kakodkar, Dr M.K.Bhan, Prof A.K.Sood, Prof V.Kannan, Prof K.Vijayraghavan, Prof Baldev Raj and Prof Ashustosh Sharma.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal attended the first meeting of the committee here yesterday, at which the Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ms Vibha Puri Das, and other senior officers of the Ministry were also present.
Mr Sibal said the committee would advise the Government on a holistic approach to research in science and technology, on strategies, schemes and measures that provide a vision and yet show a specific path for implementation.
Specifically, he suggested that the committee could delineate strategies and measures to attract students to science and mathematics at the secondary level and simultaneously to improve teaching in these subjects in schools.
He said it could also identify emerging areas in science and technology for focusing through the university system, specify schemes with investment plans to facilitate creation of research infrastructure and expansion of the number of institutions of quality involved in research, develop schemes to attract global talent in research to Indian Universities and initiatives for faculty potential enhancement, and develop mechanisms for competitive research funding and research audit of institutions.
He said the task entrusted to the committee was vast and urged it to prioritise its areas of focus and submit recommendations from time to time on specific topics that require the attention of the Government and policy makers.
He said the committee could consult such persons as they deem fit and engage consultants to aid and assist in their task.
It was also decided that the committee may meet as often as they require and submit reports from time to time but shall meet with the Human Resource Development Minister in chair every three or four months to deliberate on recommendations that may require intervention of the Minister.
