CNR Rao laments lack of funding for science in India

Clarifies his statement deriding politicians

A day after an outburst against politicians for the "inadequate" funding for science, Bharat Ratna awardee C N R Rao today repeated what he had said yesterday, but tried to clarify his intention behind the outburst.

"Our investment is not good, that is a bit idiotic. That's all I said. Not in anger. I'm not an angry man. I wanted something. Unfortunately, they don't understand the priority. That is what I said," Rao told reporters while explaining yesterday's outburst just a day after being conferred the Bharat Ratna.

"Why the hell these idiots, these politicians have given so little for us. In spite of that, we scientists have done something," he had said yesterday during an outpouring of anger on the inadequate funding for scientific studies. "For the money that the government has given to the scientific sector, we have done much more," Rao, who is Chairman of Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Council, said when asked about the fall in standards of scientific research in India.

Rao tried to make amends for yesterday's outburst. "First of all, they should understand the relative importance of science, they should understand to invest in proportion to our requirements so that India shines. For that we have to understand what is required. It is not being understood and that is bit of an idiotic situation. That is what I meant," he tried to explain himself.

"It is not an anger you know. I didn't call somebody an idiot. These are two different things. Unfortunately, use of language has been. I should not use, I will never use that word again because I didn't realise people will take it as somebody being called as idiot. I didn't call anyone idiot," he added.

On if the government has to do more for science, he said: "They are doing it, they have to do more. It was not a problem at all 20 years ago that is what I'm trying to tell. Now that South Korea has beaten Japan -- where do we come from, where are our people going to be employed, where will they get the money for feeding the people even?"

India has to earn that money. For that the country's industry has to do well, our technology has to do well; competition is there. That is why we need more investment, Rao said.