Boosting India’s science budget
Now is the time to inject funds into scientific research
More than ever before, India is today at the leading edge of research in diverse areas of science and technology largely because these are fields that are new to the rest of the world, too. Scientists are studying batteries, hydrogen and fuel cells, new energy, quantum computing and CO2-to-fuels as opposed to ‘old science’ technologies such as space, telecommunications, semi-conductors, electronics and conventional energy, where India lagged behind other countries.
The emerging areas therefore represent a grand opportunity for India to come up as a leader, at least in certain niches. For example, while the country may be behind in, say, lithium-ion battery technology, it is catching up with other leading nations in sodium or zinc ion, or solid electrolyte batteries. And that is why scientific research in India, more than any other time in the past, needs financial nourishment.