India Innovates & Leads In Science And Technology

India has been a knowledge economy and has been a leader in science and technology from the ancient times. India now needs policies and programs to reclaim its global leadership position in science and technology. BJP recognizes the need to create an ecosystem for fundamental research and innovation, keeping the objective of science with a human face in the service of the common man. Science and technology has enormous potential to bridge the disparities between the urban and rural India, rich and poor. Scientific education and technology needs to be encouraged, promoted, practiced and leveraged with renewed vision and vigour.

BJP recognizes the central role of science and technology in raising the quality of life of the people of the country, particularly of the disadvantaged sections of society in creating wealth for all, in making India globally competitive, in utilizing natural resources in a sustainable manner, in protecting the environment and ensuring national security. We will also encourage and incentivize private sector investments - both domestic and foreign, in science and technology and in high-end research aimed towards innovation.

BJP's manifesto for 2014 will focus on the following:

* Ensuring food, agricultural, nutritional and environmental, wealth, health and energy security of the people on a sustainable basis, using science and technology.

* Mounting a direct and sustained effort on the alleviation of poverty, enhancing livelihood security, removal of hunger and malnutrition, reduction of drudgery and regional imbalances, both rural and urban, and generation of employment, by using scientific and technological capabilities along with our traditional knowledge pool.

* Encouraging research and innovation in areas of relevance for the economy and society, particularly by promoting close and productive interaction between private and public institutions. Sectors such as agriculture (particularly soil, water management, human and animal nutrition and fisheries), water, health, education, industry, energy including renewable energy, communication and transportation would be accorded highest priority. Leveraging of technologies such as information technology, biotechnology and material sciences would be done with special importance.

* Encouraging research and application to meet the challenges of climate change and for forecasting, prevention and mitigation of natural hazards, particularly floods, cyclones, earthquakes, drought and landslides.

* Promoting international science and technology cooperation towards achieving the goals of national development and security, and making it a key element of our international relations.

* Devise schemes, programs and opportunities to encourage the youth to take scientific research and innovation as a career.

* Provide work environment and professional opportunities in fundamental scientific research, to make research careers more appealing, so that the nation can harness the best of brains for scientific research leading to enhancing the national productivity and competitiveness and reverse brain drain.

* Build world class, regional centres of excellence of scientific research in the field of nanotechnology, material sciences, thorium technology and brain research.

* Create an ecosystem for multi-country and inter-disciplinary collaborative research, and establish an Intellectual Property Rights Regime which maximizes the incentive for generation and protection of intellectual property for all type of inventors.

* Achieving synergy between industry and scientific research. Autonomous technology transfer organizations will be created as associate organizations of universities and national laboratories to transfer the know-how generated by them to industry. Industry will be encouraged to adopt or support educational and research institutions to help direct science and technology endeavours towards tangible industrial goals.

Promotion of innovation by creating a comprehensive national system of innovation. 

Indigenous knowledge, based on our long and rich tradition will be further developed and harnessed for the purpose of wealth and employment generation
*  To promote science popularization schemes extensively.
* Bbring the changes in secondary education to focus on application of science.
* Set an institute of Big data and Analytics for studying the impact of big data across sectors for predictive science.
* To do research for the eradication of tropical diseases.
* Establish institutes of Technology for Rural Development.
* Establish a Central University dedicated to Himalayan Technology.
* Promote research and application of nuclear science in medicines, industry and agriculture.

We believe science and technology should be used to build a new and resurgent India that continues to maintain its strong democratic and spiritual traditions, that remains secure not only militarily but also socially and economically. Our science and technology policy will be framed and implemented so as to be in harmony with our worldview of the large human family. We will ensure that science and technology truly uplifts the Indian people and indeed all humanity.