Why Centre's inaugural Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar has run into controversy

Twenty-six distinguished scientists had written to the PSA to the government over the exclusion of three short-listed candidates from the list of Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar awardees. (Photo Credit: PIB)

Less than two months after the President awarded 33 distinguished Indian scientists for their extraordinary achievements in the field of science, technology and innovation, the inaugural edition of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar has run into controversy over the alleged omission of three scientists from the list of potential awardees at the final stage of the selection process.

Weeks after the award ceremony at the Gantantra Mandap, Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 22, as many as 26 award-winning scientists wrote to Principal Scientific Advisor to the government, Ajay Sood, enquiring if the recommendations of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee for the award were accepted in entirety or revised by further committees or authorities.

The PSA is now learnt to have responded to the letter saying that the names recommended by the awards committee were forwarded to the Minister of Science and Technology, suggesting that the final call in the matter eventually rests with the minister, reports The Indian Express.

What is the official selection process?

The selection process mentioned on the website of the award states that subject experts are required to send their shortlists to an apex committee, which is the RVPC headed by the PSA. The RVPC then recommends the names to the Minister of Science and Technology.

As per the IE report, the information provided under “Selection Process” for the RVP awards on the government’s website had a new sentence added over the past weekend. “The RVPC will recommend the names to the Honourable Minister of Science & Technology, Govt. of India,” it states. Earlier, under the selection process, the website only stated that all nominations for the award will be placed before the RVPC.

In his reply to the scientists, the PSA is learnt to have said that the selection process followed for the awards is in line with what has been mentioned on the website.

What is the controversy?

After the names of the awardees were announced by the government on August 7, some members from the apex committee and the subject expert committees sought clarity from the government on the considerations that may have influenced the final list of awardees.

They also sought details regarding the exclusion of three distinguished scientists from the list of potential awardees in the final stage of selection.

Scientists who missed out

The three scientists whose names were omitted in the final list of awardees included Suvrat Raju, a physicist at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Prateek Sharma, physicist at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and Suman Chakraborty of IIT Kharagpur, who won the Infosys Prize for Engineering and Computer Science in 2022.

Notably, Raju and Sharma were critical of the IISc over the last-minute cancellation of a scheduled discussion led by student activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita on the UAPA in 2023. The duo had also signed open letters on the Citizenship Amendment Act and against the actions of the National Investigation Agency in the Bhima Koregaon case.

Who were the final awardees?
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, in its inaugural year, was awarded to distinguished scientists in four categories - Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva, and Vigyan Team.

The Vigyan Ratna Award, given to the scientists who have made lifetime contributions in any field of Science and Technology, was presented to Prof. Govindarajan Padmanabhan, a pioneer of molecular biology and biotechnology research in India.

The Vigyan Shri Awards, given to the scientists who have made distinguished contributions to Science and Technology, were presented to 13 scientists for their path-breaking research in their respective domains.

The Vigyan Yuva-SSB award, given to recognize scientists who have exceptionally contributed to any field of science and technology, was given to 18 scientists for their significant contribution in the areas spanning from the study on the warming of the Indian Ocean and its consequences, to the development of indigenous 5G base station and communication and precision tests of quantum mechanics.

The Vigyan Team Award, given to a team of 3 or more scientists for making ground-breaking research contributions in any field of science and technology, was given to the team of Chandrayaan-3 for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 lander near the south pole of the moon.