Serious doubts about the efficacy of the Indian Science Congress have emerged; no meaningful discussions and debates come out of it anyway

The cancellation (postponement, according to office bearers) of the 109th edition of the Indian Science Congress which was scheduled to begin on 3 January 2024 has brought to light a big fraud being committed on the nation by a cartel of scientific administrators. According to office bearers of the Indian Science Congress, the five-day event which was to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was postponed to another date because of the refusal of the Department of Science and Technology to pay the organisation Rs 5 crore to meet the expenses of the annual congregation of scientists and research scholars.

But a probe with scientists who are into the serious business of research brought out some startling information. The Indian Science Congress is not at all a government-controlled institution. It is as good as any Non-Governmental Organization that survives only because of its name Indian Science Congress,” said P Ramachandran Nair, a veteran scientist with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, the nerve center of the country’s nuclear science research activities.

Nair said he had not heard about the Indian Science Congress in his 36-year-long research job. “I do not think it is a government organisation. Had it been so, we from BARC would have presented research papers in their sessions,” he told The Pioneer.

Prof Gyaneshwer Chaubey of Banaras Hindu University, who has more than 100 scientific papers in international journals and scientific seminars and who has specialized in Biological Anthropology, Medicinal Genetics and Forensics, said that he has not attended any of the ISC sessions. “There was no invitation to us from the ISC. Though international scientific journals are keen on having us in their publications and seminars, the ISC has not shown any interest in our work,” said Prof Chaubey who was a senior member of the international scientific team that scientifically debunked and demolished the Aryan invasion theory.

A spokesman of the Department of Atomic Energy told this newspaper that the office bearers of the ISC flock in to stage the annual event which has become a kind of jamboree. “No serious discussions or debates take place during this annual event. The theme selected for this year’s session was Global Perspective on Science and Technology for Sustainable Future. These are naïve attempts to hoodwink the political class who are not confident to take on them,” said the spokesman.

Nand Lal Mishra, a former scientist of BARC pointed out that there were no instances of the ISC coming out with a route map or blueprint to address the basic issues faced by the country. “Have they any action plan to resolve the recurring flood and drought retarding the progress of the country? Is the ISC doing anything to help the young researchers? They may be honouring scientists and veterans with annual awards but that is not the solution,” faced by the country.

Many scientists with whom The Pioneer spoke said that there is a lot of money to be made by staging the ISC. “Catering, printing and stationery, entertainment, the shamiana etc are avenues through which those ruling the ISC could make money. If a white paper is made or a probe is ordered on the modus operandi of the ISA, we will be opening a pandora’s box,” they said.

The country has yet to manufacture its civil aircraft or a desi car/truck. The technology meant for solar energy and atomic power has to be imported from other countries. Prof B M Hegde, a highly venerated Indian cardiologist, said that while the developed countries have failed to develop a medicine for the common cold, the Indian system of knowledge has a solution for the disease which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. But something is seriously wrong with Indian science. ISC is the tip of the iceberg. 

(The writer is a special correspondent with The Pioneer, views are personal)