Congress lashes out at Centre over ‘delay’ in release of funds to scientists

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday (July 13) alleged that the Narendra Modi government was “hell-bent” on killing scientific research in the country after a media report revealed that scientists at top research institutions had not yet received funds for this financial year. They ought to have received the funds in April.

“Modi Govt is hell-bent to kill scientific research in the country, thus hampering a nation’s progress,” Kharge tweeted.

Scientists at top research institutions are yet to receive funds for this financial year and are forced to use their hard-earned savings to continue research, he said.

Kharge’s tweet

“At a time when government has promised more funding by setting up a National Research Foundation (NRF), their purchases are on hold and project staff have not been paid for three months. Private funding is welcome, but the Government funding should not stop,” the Congress president wrote.

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Budget 2023 slashed the funds for scientific research by 6.87 per cent, he said. “In 2017, the scientific community was forced to stage nationwide protests in 27 cities to register their concerns about paltry funding, fund cuts and pseudo-science propagated by the Modi Government,” he added.

In 2015, the Modi government had asked organisations involved in scientific research to start self-financing projects, which meant they would have to raise their own funding for research, Kharge said. “Modi Government has time and again displayed its utter disdain and contempt against encouraging scientific temper,” he alleged.

“PM Modi might speak about Jai Vigyaan, Jai Anusandhan (victory to science, victory to research) but sadly, his government wishes to parajay vigyaan, parajay anusandhan (defeat science, defeat research),” Kharge continued.

Chidambaram’s dig

Earlier, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also took a swipe at the Centre over the matter, saying maybe the government will coin a new slogan, “Minimum funds, maximum research”.

Citing the same media report as Kharge, Chidambaram said that as a result of this, purchases are on hold and project staff have not been paid for three months.

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He also quoted senior scientist, SC Lakhotia, as saying that he is paying his project staff from his own pocket.

“Why are the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology silent on the matter?” the former Union minister argued.

“Maybe the Government will coin a new slogan this week: minimum funds, maximum research,” Chidambaram tweeted.

(With agency inputs)