THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite having many favourable factors, India still lags behind when it came to the number of students entering the field of research and development, said Infosys Science Foundation president and former chief executive officer of Infosys Mr. S D Shibulal.
Talking to reporters here in connection with an interactive session for students with scientists, Mr. Shibulal said the successful commissioning of Mangalyan had proved beyond doubt the Indian scientific community’s capabilities.
“Even as thousands of students are graduating in the country annually, only a few are entering the field of research. According to reports, only 0.81 percent of India’s GDP was being spent on research, whereas in China it is 1.87 percent,” he said.
National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology director A Ajayaghosh said that there was a wrong notion that one could do much in terms of contribution to science and research from Kerala.
“I have proved that it is a wrong notion as I could make a notable contribution to the field by sitting in the southern tip of the country. Though I had opportunities to go abroad, I declined,” said Mr. Ajayaghosh who was a recipient of the Infosys prize for contributions on par with international standards in 2012.
Founder of SpicyIP, India’s premier blog on intellectual property and innovation law, Mr. Shamnad Basheer lamented that governments were not taking any steps on pricing of medicines and thereby leaving the competition open.
Most cancer drugs were priced uniformly in all countries. But the income pattern of individuals is different in each country.
Mr. Shamnad, who got the Infosys prize in 2014, has been made the chief mentor of an employment and skill development initiative of the employment department for upliftment of Attapadi areas.
