State spend on science research stagnant: Biocon chief
Bengaluru, June 25: Biotechnology major Biocon's Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Monday lamented that the state's spend on science research has remained stagnant over the past few years.
"Public expenditures on research have been stagnant -- between 0.6 per cent and 0.7 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) -- over the past two decades. There is a greater need for the state governments to augment their spends on science research," Shaw said addressing Indian Institute of Science's (IISc) convocation ceremony here.
Overall investments in science in terms of gross expenditure on research and development (GERD), however, has been increasing over the years, she said.
"The GERD has tripled in the last decade -- from nearly Rs 24,000 crore in 2004-05 to about Rs 100,000 crore in 2016-17."
Unlike other economies, the Indian government is the primary source of science research funding as well as the primary user of those funds, she noted.
"Private investments in research and development are not encouraging either."
Quoting an analysis by a magazine, she said mere 26 companies were in the list of 2,500 research and development spenders across the world, compared to 301 Chinese companies, and that Indian universities also play a relatively small role in the country's research ecosystem.
"In most countries in the developed world, universities play a critical role in creating research talent and generating research output. Publicly funded research in India has universities largely playing a teaching role," she said.
The decision by the country which goes back to the 1950s of having Indian research institutes under different government departments and allowing universities to only teach has impaired both teaching and research in the country, Shaw said.
"This is one of the reasons why Indian universities are missing from various global rankings of top institutions of higher education."
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KSRTC introduces gender ticketing in buses across Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The KSRCTC on Saturday began implementing gender ticketing in buses operating across the state.
According to a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) circular issued on Friday, the gender ticketing system is intended to record whether a passenger is a woman, a man or a child in tickets issued on KSRTC buses from Saturday.
To facilitate the system, Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) have been updated.
The circular stated that conductors in all KSRTC depots should record the gender category of passengers while issuing tickets through the ETMs.
Options for women, men, and children have been included in the ETMs to identify passenger categories when issuing tickets.
The printed tickets generated by the ETMs will also indicate the passenger's category, officials said.
The UDF had promised free KSRTC travel for women across the state during the Assembly election campaign.
UDF, which won 102 of 140 seats, would soon form the government after the Congress party finalises the discussion on the next Chief Minister.
The introduction of gender ticketing is being viewed as an effort to estimate the number of women travelling daily on KSRTC buses before implementing the poll promise.
Some conductors have reportedly raised concerns over the additional time required to record passenger details, especially during rush hours.
