New Science, Technology & Innovation Policy 2020 discussed at meeting

New Delhi: A power-packed apex committee meeting of the new Science, Technology & Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020 discussed various suggestions for the upcoming policy, a statement said on Saturday.

The draft STIP-2020 policy was presented in the meeting held on November 26, it said.

Secretaries of all science and several ministries – Ministry of Earth Sciences secretary M Rajeevan; Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) secretary K N Vyas; Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) director-general Shekhar Mande; Department of Biotechnology (DBT) secretary Renu Swarup; Department of Space secretary K Sivan; Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) secretary Sandeep Verma; Ministry of AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh and Scientific Secretary at the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser Arabinda Mitra participated and shared their insights and expectations from the STIP 2020.

Heads of several national-level S&T institutions like the IITs, Indian Institute of Sciences, and science organisations also took part in the deliberation process, the statement said.

The meeting, held on November 26 through virtual mode, was chaired by K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, and co-chaired by VK Saraswat, Member Science, NITI Aayog and Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, Department of Science and Technology.

“STIP 2020, India’s fifth National Policy for Science, Technology, and Innovation, aims to capture the aspirations of the entire nation through a decentralized, bottom-up, and inclusive approach,” the statement said.

“From open science to funding priorities, critical human capital to equity and inclusion, strategic technologies to traditional knowledge systems, science diplomacy to science communication – this policy promises a renewed STI ecosystem for an Atmanirbhar Bharat,” it added.