The Union Budget for 2025 in India has significantly increased funding for science and research, particularly emphasizing the promotion of private sector involvement in research, development, and innovation. Here are some key points from the allocations:
Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST): The budget has allocated ₹20,000 crore for "research, development, and innovation" under the Ministry of Science and Technology. This is described as a "historic" increase, aiming to boost private sector R&D, with the allocation being significantly higher than the typical annual budget which has averaged around ₹6,000 to ₹8,000 crore. This includes a new corpus of ₹1 lakh crore with a fifty-year interest-free loan to finance private R&D.
Department of Science & Technology (DST): There's a marked increase in the budget for the DST, with the Budget Estimate (BE) for 2025-26 at ₹28,508.90 crore, a dramatic rise from the Revised Estimate (RE) of ₹5,661.45 crore in 2024-25. This increase is largely due to the new "Research, Development & Innovation (RDI)" scheme with an allocation of ₹20,000 crore.
Department of Biotechnology (DBT): The DBT has been allocated ₹3,446 crore, which represents a 50% increase from the ₹2,440 crore allocated in 2024-25. This funding aims to support biotechnology startups among other initiatives.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): The CSIR's budget is expected to be ₹6,657.78 crore for 2025-26, similar to the ₹6,350 crore in the previous year, focusing on maintaining its research activities.
General R&D Funding: There's a noted trend of increasing government investment in R&D, with plans to leverage private sector involvement further. The National Research Foundation (NRF) and other schemes continue to play a role in this landscape, although specific increases in their budgets are not detailed for this year.
This budget reflects a strategic move towards enhancing India's research infrastructure, encouraging private sector participation, and aiming for technological and scientific advancements. However, there are also discussions about the effectiveness and actual implementation of these funds, highlighting a gap between budget announcements and real-world application.
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