The Post Modern Big Science: INDIA 2020

The first Science Policy Resolution was formulated in 1958. At that time the foundation of pure science was strong in our universities but we lacked necessary infrastructure for research in areas of Big Sciences. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was, therefore, established with avowed aim to protect the interest of the country in connection with the emerging fields of knowledge by increasing teaching and research facilities in nuclear physics in the Indian universities. Nevertheless, the founder chairman of the Commission, Homi J. Bhabha, pursued an autocratic Science Policy by placing fundamental research under the government control.

The Atomic Energy Act 1962 restricted nuclear physics and the Fundamental Research to the regime of the government departments. Secrecy and non-accountability became the mantra with Indian science establishment. For all practical purposes, science research was separated from the mainstream of knowledge in the universities.

Consequently, formulation and execution of long-term science goals were mostly determined by the official committees. For this reason, the Policy exercises were deprived of critical inputs of independent public representatives and social science studies.

No political party included Science Policy in its manifesto. Less than 2 percent legislative time is spent on science and technology issues. In Parliament hardly any debate takes place on performance of scientific ministries and departments. Whereas abroad some thirty-five universities offer courses on Science and Public Policy, in our country, the Policy studies are not included in curricula of higher education.