On October 22, 2020, Union minister Harsh Vardhan, via a virtual meeting, held detailed consultations with various state ministers and senior officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology for the formulation of Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020. The policy aims to re-energise the country’s scientific ecosystem and redefine the priorities and sectoral focus so as to directly translate efforts in S&T for the benefit of the society and economy.
The formulation of STIP 2020 is driven by four interrelated tracks, 21 expert-driven thematic groups, and focused public discussions. The process aims to define priority issues for the national STI ecosystem, recommendations with aligned implementation strategies, expected deliverables, and a rigorous monitoring mechanism.
The STIP 2020 proposes institutionalisation of Centre-State STI engagements and creation of pathways to successfully percolate the policy instrument to the grassroots level.
There is a need to identify national priorities that are driven by the needs of the states. Continuous highest level of engagements, extensive capacity-building exercises, technology development support programmes, and other related activities would be carried out for the development of formal linkages. This would lead to rapid growth by streamlining resource mobilisation to avoid duplicity of efforts within the ecosystem.
Centre-state Cooperation a Must
Centre-state cooperation remains at the heart of building a truly Atmanirbhar Bharat. The new STIP policy would be an inclusive and decentralised policy wherein all states would become equal partners with shared ownership and responsibility. To empower the STI ecosystem, there is a need to strengthen institutional linkages and joint funding systems, for which State S&T Councils must be reinvigorated as they remain crucial in achieving these goals.
Courtesy: Business Standard, IN Bureau