Do not subject science, scientists to politics

Soon after the national science awards — in the new avatar of Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar — were given away last month, protests emerged over the selection of scientists for the award and political interference in the process. As many as 175 scientists and academics have expressed disappointment over the selections and raised questions about it. The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) was instituted by the government last year after abolishing a large number of science awards, including the prestigious Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize. This was itself a controversial decision and was thought to be intended to adversely affect the independent nature of selection and to facilitate political interference in it. The new awards did not for some reason carry any cash prize. From the criticism made in public by scientists, the apprehensions about the new system seem to have come true.  

It has been reported that the names of three scientists who were chosen by the selection committee did not figure in the final awardees’ list. They had been informally told of their selection by some committee members. The three are said to have been excluded for their political views. The matter was first raised in a letter written by 26 Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize awardees to the government’s Principal Scientific Adviser, Ajay Sood, who heads the selection committee (RVPC). They asked him if the recommendations were amended by the government and to disclose the selection criteria. It was pointed out that “the government has updated the selection criteria in its portal and the new version uploaded in the last couple of days adds a line that the RVPC chaired by you submits its recommendations to the Minister of Science and Technology.” The change in the selection process may have enabled the government to change the recommendations of the committee. 

The selection committee now comprises heads of science academies and secretaries of scientific departments. The presence of bureaucrats helps the government to interfere in the decisions. The scope for political meddling is complete when the final decision is left to the minister. Till now, committees of 12-15 previous Bhatnagar award winners had chosen the award winners in each field every year. This had helped to make the selection fair. The scientists have called what happened this year with the awards “an unhealthy development for Indian science”. It was also pointed out that the new selection procedure could set a precedent for ministers to use “unrestricted vetoes” to overrule the recommendations of expert committees. A selection procedure in which there is room for political interference would reduce the value and credibility of the awards. The country should have a robust system to encourage its scientists, and it should be free of politics, partisanship and bias.