New Delhi: More Indian scientists have raised concerns over the government’s selection process for the Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards under the inaugural Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar this year, which have been awarded to 33 scientists.
They have alleged that the criteria for the awards were changed at the last moment on the Union Home Ministry website to justify the omission of three scientists from the shortlist of those who were in the race for the awards.
This comes days after at least 26 scientists from top Indian institutes wrote to the Government of India’s Principal Scientific Advisor, Ajay Sood, asking for the selection details to be made public.
On 30 August, senior scientists, including probability theorist Siva Athreya, mathematician Indranil Biswas, theoretical physicist Rajesh Gopakumar, computer scientist Jaikumar Radhakrishnan, and neuroscientist Shubha Tole, had written to the PSA, seeking assurance that the process of selection of the awardees for the first edition of the awards was fair. All of these scientists have been recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards in the past.
Nirmalya Kajuri, assistant professor of Physics at Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, posted on X screenshots of the selection criteria specified on the home ministry webpage a week before and on 16 September. In a post Tuesday, he wrote, “The plot thickens in the Bhatnagar award fiasco story. The selection process webpage was modified to add a new point overnight.”
Kajuri pointed out how a new clause was added to the selection criteria, which was not previously mentioned on the website.
“A brand new point was added that says ‘The RVPC will recommend the names to the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology’… Interestingly, the change was made just ahead of the letter sent by a group of scientists asking the Principal Scientific Adviser for clarification on this matter,” parts of his post read.
A senior scientist from IIT-Delhi said, on the condition of anonymity, “The scientists whose names have been allegedly dropped have recently been critical of the government in some way. There are serious doubts that their names were dropped at the last minute as an arm-twisting technique against the entire scientific community.”
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The controversy
It began when the first set of awardees was announced last month. The final list of winners allegedly excluded the names of three scientists—Suvrat Raju, a physicist from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Prateek Sharma, physicist from Indian Institute of Science, and Suman Chakraborty, a mechanical engineer from IIT-Kharagpur—despite being recommended by the expert committee.
In the 30 August letter to the PSA, the scientists had alleged that “unfair non-scientific considerations” may have influenced the final selection of the awardees. “We are writing to ask whether the recommendations of the RVPC (Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee) were accepted in entirety or were revised by further committees or authorities,” the letter read.
They went on to request that the details of the nature of any such committees and the criteria employed in arriving at the decision be made public, as they could not find any mention of this on the government website.
The office of the PSA did not respond to ThePrint’s request for a comment on the allegations.
The Vigyan awards
In 2023, the Union government had announced the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar as the highest recognition for contributions in the field of science and technology in India. The awards clubbed individual awards and grants under one umbrella, with four categories—Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva and Vigyan Team.
In the inaugural edition, 33 scientists were awarded across the categories—one Vigyan Ratna, 13 Vigyan Shris, 18 Vigyan Yuva-SSB and one Vigyan Team.
The Vigyan Ratna aims to recognise lifetime achievements and contributions made in any field of science and technology. Vigyan Shri is awarded for distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology. Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award is for young scientists under the age of 45 years to recognise exceptional contributions in any field of science and technology. Vigyan Team award will be given every year to a team, comprising three or more scientists, researchers or innovators.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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