What do leading scientists make of the R&D Budget in Modi’s third term?

The previous two terms of the Narendra Modi government saw the launch of some major national advanced technology missions, including for supercomputing, cyber-physical systems, and quantum technologies. N. Kalaiselvi, Director-General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research: Continuing with the focus on ‘Viksit Bharat’ like last year, this year’s Union Budget also spurs research and development in important areas such as climate-resilient agriculture, critical minerals, miniature and modular nuclear energy technology, energy-efficient technologies, etc. Under the Budget priority entitled “Innovation, Research and Development”, the Hon’ble Finance Minister has clearly emphasised basic research and prototype development, including innovation and industry linkages. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology : The Union Budget presented by Hon’ble Finance Minister lays emphasis on transforming agriculture research in the country. In this direction, operationalisation of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation for basic research and prototype development with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore will pave the way for private sector-driven research and innovation.