THE 21ST CENTURY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY

Beginning of the new millennium witnessed a totally changed Science Policy perspective. Dr. Abdul Kalam’s Policy for the 21st century aims doubling the Science and Technology budget from 1.00 percent to 2 percent of GDP. Dr. Kalam restored autonomy of universities and proposed to reduce the burden of bureaucracy on research institutions. Kalam’s Science Policy included major tax concession for industrial firms willing to invest in Research, and attractive perks for expatriate scientists to return to India.

The policy planning is, now directing science and technology toward issues of social concern. Dr. Kalam with Dr. Y.S. Rajan had released a futuristic document on India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium. The Vision 2020 became the testament for making India a Developed Nation. Focused on comprehensive techno scientific strategy to create synergistic effect by linking high tech War Science systems to high tech societal civil sectors, including agriculture and making the country self reliant in science and engineering. Kalam calls for using high tech know-how for improving living conditions, providing better housing, better railroad transportation, clean environment and better planned and maintained urban colonies.

Proactive President had also launched an ambitious programme: PURA Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas, and had called for interlinking of national Rivers. The post-modern Science perspective therefore, aims at greater involvement of national laboratories and research institutions in building societal facilities for citizens. Space Department had helped link satellite communication network and distant digital linkages help advanced tele-medicine and speedy health services to far-flung areas, and assist sea going fisher folks by weather forecasting facilities.

Today, Nano is the most advanced techno science field of research that deals with structures at size of molecules. Roughly 50,000 times smaller than the width of human hair, the Nano-materials can help us in dealing with all kinds of threats, old and new, arising out of natural forces as well as from human-made disasters. Therefore integration of Nano-technology with critically important areas of biotechnology and information technology is necessary. Besides, the scientific efforts should be interlinked with societal missions, and to find solutions for the man-planet conflict that had led to pollution, climatic change and degradation of environment.

For the next two decades, developmental challenges before the country relate to better health care, and science education. Information and communication technologies must also be integrated with university education and research. The Nano-technology is a magic mantra for the millennium science. But social and cultural consequences of Nano-science and engineering offer interesting fields for social research. Social scientists must act as the watchdog of Nano-Science impact on Society.