Researchers demand robust funding for scientific research

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Aug 11:
Around
500
researchers
and
teachers
of
premier
higher
educational
institutions
on
Wednesday
marched
in
central
Kolkata
demanding
robust
funding
for
education
and
scientific
research
and
formulation
of
policies
on
the
part
of
the
Centre
for
evidence-based
science.
The
‘India
March
for
Science’ was
organised
by
the
scientific
community
in
protest
against
alleged
attempts
to
inculcate
belief-based
and
myth-based
thinking
in
modern-day
curriculum,
stop
spreading
unscientific
beliefs
and
urged
the
government
to
formulate
policies
based
on
evidence-based
science
only,
a
senior
scientist
and
spokesperson
of
Breakthrough
Society,
Asish
Samanta
told
Press
Trust
of
India.

The
marchers,
including
researchers
of
Jadavpur
University,
Presidency
University,
and
Calcutta
University,
among
others
called
for
inculcating
a
scientific
temper
and
stop
spreading
unscientific
beliefs.
They
demanded
robust
funding
for
education
and
scientific
research
and
urged
the
governments
to
formulate
policies
based
on
evidence-based
science,
India
March
for
Science
Kolkata
organising
committee
Chairperson
Dr
Subhraprakash
Kajoli
said.

Explained:
How
IISC
researchers
are
Using
GPUs
to
discover
human
brain
activity

Mr
Samanta
said,
since
2017,
the
scientific
community
of
India
has
been
organising
the
“March
for
Science”.
“Funding
for
education
remains
below
three
per
cent
of
the
GDP
and
that
for
scientific
research
remains
below
0.8
per
cent
of
the
GDP.
Unscientific
ideas
are
now
being
introduced
into
the
educational
curricula
in
the
name
of
‘Indian
Knowledge
Systems’,
an
important
component
of
the
New
Education
Policy
2020,”
he
said.