Nature Reports on India's New Science Minister. (June 4, 2009)

Below is the short report in today's issue of Nature on elevation of science in the new Indian ministry followed by a comment by Shahid Jameel, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India:

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week named Prithviraj Chavan as his new science minister, after spring elections returned Singh's party to power (see Nature 459, 311; 2009).
Chavan, who has a master's degree in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, takes charge of the ministries of science and technology and of Earth sciences. But he will continue as minister of state in the prime minister's office, a role he has held since 2004, and which involves interactions with the space and atomic-energy agencies.
"I am personally happy that we have a science minister who is also ideally positioned in the prime minister's office," says Thirumalachari Ramasami, secretary for the department of science and technology. With former science minister Kapil Sibal placed in charge of the human-resource development (education) ministry, Ramasami says the combination "signifies a very bright future for Indian science as a whole".

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Brilliant scientists may not always make great Science Ministers. However, for science to progress in a country it is important for the political leadership to be receptive to the needs and aspirations of the working scientist. For this, the political class must regularly take advice from successful senior scientists and find ways to put that into action. Though not a scientist (but a lawyer) by profession, the outgoing Science Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal, did a commendable job. His biggest asset was that he tried to listen and understand, and trusted the country's scientific leadership. With his engineering background and with one leg in the PMO, one hopes the new Science Minister, Mr. Chavan, will continue to be a champion for Indian science. He will have to pay greater attention to the Ministry of Science and Technology compared to his political duties in the PMO or elsewhere. Science is too important for the future of India to be lost in the din of politics.

Dr. Shahid Jameel.