Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2023-24 in the Rajya Sabha on the second day of the budget session of Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday. , Photo Credit: ANI
The Ministry of Science and Technology has received an allocation of ₹16,361.42 crore in the Union Budget, a marginal increase of 15% over the previous budget estimate. The ministry had received a shortfall of 3.9% between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The bulk of the increase went to the Department of Science and Technology (DST), which received ₹7,931.05 crore, a 32.1% increase from last year.
The Ministry of Science and Technology had an important role to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially supporting research and innovation on vaccines, medical devices and medicines.
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Apart from DST, this includes the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which received ₹2,683.86 crore, a marginal increase of 3.9%, and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), which received ₹5,746.51 crore (1.9%).
Most of DST’s increase comes from the allocation of ₹2,000 crore to the National Research Foundation. The government announced the entity in 2021 with an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore over five years to “strengthen the governance structure of research-related institutions and [to] Improving links between R&D, academia and industry”.
The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under DBT, an implementing body to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and ramp up vaccine manufacturing in 2020 under the government’s ‘Mission COVID Suraksha’, has received a 40% cut.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences has received ₹3,319.88 crore, an increase of 25.11%. While high, it is relatively low compared to the previous increase of 40%.
These ministries and departments are together responsible for promoting, supporting and translating research and its applications in various fields in the country.
India’s gross expenditure on research and development (GERD), which includes state government and private sector investments, has been steadily declining since 2009-2010, making higher public sector investment in research and development a long-term demand of the national research community. has been made.