science

Updated: Dec 21, 2017 17:31 IST

The minister of state for science and technology told Lok Sabha Wednesday that 649 Indian scientists and returned to the country between 2012 and 2017. “There is a significant increase in number of Indian scientists returning to work in India during the last five years,” YS Chowdhury, minister of state for science and technology, said in a written statement.

Between 2007 and 2012, only 243 had returned according to the statement. In August the government told Parliament that over 350 Indian scientists had returned to the country between 2014 and 2016.

“From brain drain, India has now reached a stage of brain gain,” Harsh Vardhan Union minister for science and technology and earth sciences, said at a press conference highlighting the ministry’s achievements this May.

The minister credited the Ramanujan Fellowship Scheme and the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) faculty scheme of the Department of Science and Technology and the Ramalingaswami re-entry Fellowship of Department of Biotechnology for attracting high calibre Indian researchers back to the country. The schemes offer fellowship and research grant for a period of five years to scholars from outside India.

DST’s VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Faculty Scheme also targets scientists working abroad including non resident Indians and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to work in India as visiting faculty or adjuncts for a stipulated time period in government-funded institutions.

“Indians who are positioned who are overseas, many stay back,” Renu Swarup, a senior official at the DBT said, “We are getting our good scientists back and along with that the expertise they have gained abroad.”