News & Views item - July  2004

 

 

India's Congress-led Government Announces Near 25% Boost for R&D. (July 15, 2004)

    According to Valangiman Ramamurthi, secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, "There will be a 15% hike in funding for all our major projects -- and that isn't bad".

 

Total expenditure on research and development will increase by almost a quarter to INR152 billion (A$4.56 billion) under the 2004-05 budget. However, it's not clear how the universities and fundamental research fare, i.e. the foundation for a vibrant and viable research infrastructure.  

 

Large allocations will be made to support India's fusion research while almost INR5 billion (A$150 million) -- one fifth of the entire space budget -- is earmarked for the development of a new rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III. Nature also reports that work is to begin on a INR3.5-billion (A$105 million) lunar orbiter mission planned for 2008 and on a recoverable satellite that could be a forerunner for a manned space mission while earth side there will be more "support for agricultural biotechnology, for example, and for technology to clean water supplies. This will include funding for the country's first commercial-scale desalination plant, in Chennai, which will be followed by a number of others."