Hands-off approach, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• The government announced 24 individual scientists and 1 team as recipients of the second Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP).
• The RVP awards have four categories: Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award, and Vigyan Team award.
• The total number of awards is capped at 56, but this year fewer than the 33 awarded last year were given.
• Unlike the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) awards, the RVP has no cash component.

Detailed Insights:

• The Vigyan Ratna and Vigyan Shri awards recognize distinguished contributions over a lifetime and recent distinguished contributions, respectively.
• The Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award is for individuals under 45, and the Vigyan Team award recognizes collaborative technology development.
• Concerns arose last year regarding transparency in the award selection process, with some scientists allegedly being informed of their selection and later dropped.
• The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee, chaired by the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA), recommends awardees to the Minister of Science and Technology.
• The RVP was instituted in 2022 to consolidate numerous scientific awards and elevate their stature to that of national awards.
• The centralisation of the RVP and the attempt to make it 'Padma-like' have raised concerns about potential politicization.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP): A set of national science awards in India recognizing significant contributions in various fields of science and technology.
• Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Awards: Prestigious science awards in India, given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable research.
• Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA): The chief advisor to the government of India on matters related to science, technology, and innovation.