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With barely 1 percent of India's budget going for scientific research, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Friday said a panel of all scientific departments must be set up to visualise a concrete, integrated action plan for the next decade. "Every year, when I come to the Science Congress, there has been an assurance that the science and technology budget will be increased," Kalam said at the 94th edition of the conference in this temple town, some 225 km from Chennai. "For enabling time bound action I would suggest the constitution of a joint team consisting of members from all scientific departments of the government of India and other concerned departments and agencies," he said. "This team should work out growth plan for research, science education, training programmes and laboratories and establish programmes in a integrated way for the five-year period, keeping a 20 years science vision perspective." Kalam's remarks came following assurances by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Wednesday that India's budgetary allocation for scientific research will be progressively stepped up to 2 percent of gross domestic products. "The yearly increase would be 1.2 percent for 2007-08, 1.4 percent for 2008-09, 1.6 2009-10, 1.8 percent for 2010-2011 and 2 percent for2011-2012. I would recommend 0.5 percent be allocated for basic research," Kalam said. Kalam said a white paper or a document should also be prepared that could draw up an integrated national science and technology programme, which would include basic research, applied research and technology demonstration. "The document should also indicate all the participating departments, research institutions, academic institutions and universities together with the specific milestones to be achieved in a definite time frame," he added. The president also sounded a word of caution in stepping up monetary allocation towards science, saying: "Twenty-percent of the budget allotted towards science in the year 2005-2006 lies unutilised". According to him, Indian scientists must change their mindsets and said science for the youth should be an inspiration, a way of life, with their minds looking forward to fast action in education, research and results. "The experienced have unanimously confirmed that science in India must graduate for dealing with and also finding solution to the problems faced by our country, particularly the rural areas," he said. "The scientific magnanimity radiating from experienced scientists throughout the country must inspire the youth to take up science as a life time mission."
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