PM Modi on his arrival for the day-long meeting of the BJP Chief Ministers' Council in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday constituted a 21-member panel to advise PM Narendra Modi on science, technology and innovations.

Headed by principal scientific adviser to the government KVijay Raghavan, the panel — called Prime Minister’s Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PMSTIAC) — will also assist the government in using science, technology and innovation for “solving socio-economic problems” in the country.

Advising the government on developing ‘Clusters of Excellence’ in science including city-based R&D clusters will also be one of the 17 tasks of the panel. It will work to bring together all science & technology partners from academia\ institutes to industries near such centres or cities.

Besides the chairperson, the panel has eight members and 12 special invitees. The members include noted mathematician and Princeton University professor Manjul Bharghava; former Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar and industrialist and MD of Bharat Forge Baba Kalyani .

