Union Budget 2024: Big ticket science needs big money

The national budget needs to provide for both high visibility and mission-oriented programmes like space and the day-to-day science in national laboratories and the university system.

The soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, the launch of Aditya L1 space observatory to study the Sun, the testing of the crew escape module for the human space mission, Gaganyaan, and the launch of the second-generation satellite in the NavIC series were some of the key achievements of the Indian space sector in 2023. In addition, work started on the long-awaited Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory – India (LIGO-India) project - at Hingoli in Maharashtra, and the National Quantum Mission was launched.

All these projects are a result of sustained nurturing of the vast scientific infrastructure spread over several departments and ministries – science and technology, space, atomic energy, earth sciences, renewable energy, defence research, biotechnology, medical research, agriculture and so on. In addition, the research ecosystem includes higher education institutions (Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research etc.) as well as the vast university education system. All of them look for funding support from the government.

The national budget needs to provide for both high visibility and mission-oriented programmes like space and the day-to-day science in national laboratories and the university system. The two streams of scientific research feed on each other, so one can’t be neglected at the cost of the other.

While the national spending on science and technology appears to be rising in absolute terms, India fares poorly on the global benchmark of Research and Development (R&D) funding as a proportion of the GDP. India spends
just about 0.64 percent of GDP on R&D – compared to 2.4 percent by China and 3.45 percent by America. The figure has remained almost static for the past two decades – and even falling in some years. For example, the budgetary allocation for the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Space has remained the same for the past two years – about Rs 16,000 crore and Rs 12,500 crore respectively.

Annual budgets are about resource allocation as well as giving new policy directions. On this count, the present government has a poor record when it comes to R&D.

Waiting For NRF

Take the case of the National Research Foundation (NRF). The idea first figured in a budget speech in 2019 when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the setting up of NRF as an umbrella organisation to ‘fund, coordinate and promote’ research in thrust areas relevant to national priorities as well as basic science. To fund NRF, she said, the government would club ‘funds available with all Ministries’ and also make available some additional funds.

Read | ISRO moves Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module to orbit around Earth in unique experiment

In 2020, the idea of NRF was incorporated in the New Education Policy but with no clarity on funding or its shape. In the 2021 budget, Sitharaman ‘proposed’ an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore spread over five years. This gave rise to high expectations but there was no administrative action to establish NRF and the next year’s budget was silent on NRF. In 2023, NRF featured again in the budget and it was allocated Rs 2,000 crore but still the entity could not take shape.

The Cabinet approved the bill to establish NRF in June 2023 and it was passed in Parliament in August. The rules and regulations for the body – for which Rs 2,000 crore was allocated in February 2023 – are yet to be unveiled and NRF is far from functional. Hopefully, the 2024 budget will reveal what happened to the money, and if the idea that Sitharaman announced in 2019 would see the light of the day in 2024.

Meanwhile, science minister Jitendra Singh clarified that the allocation of Rs 50,000 crore for five years (2023-2028) for NRF was subject to the participation of the private sector in R&D. In fact, the government hopes that the bulk of the funding – as much as 70 percent – would come from non-government sources. Again, no clarity still on how this money would be raised from private players or through what mechanisms, particularly given the dismal track record of the private sector in R&D.

Sustained Funding Needed

Another big-ticket idea - National Quantum Mission – has had a similar budgetary journey. Sitharaman announced it first in her budget speech in 2020. She flaunted a generous number - Rs 8,000 crore for five years. The Union Cabinet approved the mission in April 2023 but with a much-reduced outlay and stretched timeline than announced by Sitharaman – Rs 6,003.65 crore for eight years from 2023-24 onward.

Also read | India ISRO's Aditya-L1 solar mission reaches destination

Most scientific research projects, be it human space flight or supercomputing mission, have a long gestation period and require sustained funding. Policymakers and the Ministry of Finance should bear this in mind while allocating resources for different sectors.

Sub-critical funding in multiple areas does not yield the desired results. Overall, the kitty for R&D has to go up to at least 1.5 percent of GDP with a clear roadmap. If India aspires to be a global R&D powerhouse, the situation must change.

Dinesh C Sharma is a science journalist and author based in New Delhi. Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.