Context: Recently, Department of Science and Technology (DST)  has initiated a rationalisation exercise to reduce the number of autonomous institutions funded by various Ministries.

Rationalisation exercise

• Rationalisation exercise means merging, disengaging and even closure of some organisations.

• Finance Ministry recommended 83 of the 231 autonomous bodies to be retained and 117 merged into 29 entities.

• It recommended that the Centre “disengage” from 20 entities.

• It also proposed that seven autonomous bodies be closed.

• After rationalisation is completed, only 111 autonomous bodies would remain.

• The broader aim of the exercise is minimum government and maximum governance.

Rationalisation exercise of DST

• DST is the main source of funds and sustenance for at least 30 autonomous research bodies.

• Finance Ministry recommended that 8 be retained, 18 be merged into two, the government disengage from three and one.

• Vigyan Prasar be wound up and its functions be carried out by the Ministry.

• It is an autonomous body set up in 1989.

• It is tasked with science popularization.

Merger autonomous bodies of DST

Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore

• It is founded in 1948 by Sir C.V. Raman.

• It is among the country’s top institutes for research into theoretical and high-energy physics.

S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences and the Bose Institute

• Both are in Kolkata.

RRI is proposed to be merged with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore.

• Two Kolkata institutes proposed to be merged with the Indian Association for Cultivation of Sciences, also located at Kolkata.

• Two science academies: the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, and the National Academy of Sciences (NASI), Allahabad, will be merged into the Indian Association of Science (sic).

• The Technology Information and Forecasting Council (TIFAC), New Delhi, the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the Indian Science Congress Association have been recommended to become “corporatised” and Section-8 companies.

Rationalisation exercise of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)

• It brought its five sister institutes including the India Meteorological Department under a common ‘virtual’ structure but each institute retains its independent identity.

Rationalisation exercise of Department of Biotechnology

• It merged 14 autonomous institutions under it into an apex body called the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC).

• 39 laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have been part of a society headed by the Prime Minister of India.