India has lagged behind China in scientific research: Ansari

Says both problem and solution lie in the social values a country follows

Vice President Hamid Ansari today lamented that while China has made phenomenal progress in science and technology in the last two decades India has lagged behind and expressed concern that scientific research is not being pursued by most students, even in IITs.

"It is quite evident that in last 15-20 years, Chinese progress in science and technolgy is quite phenomenal. In 1985, we were producing about the same number of PhDs in natural sciences. In 1995, they went ahead of us. The question that is in my mind is why is it that our young people have lost an interest in pursuing natural science and engineering," Ansari said.

He was speaking at the launch of a book "Science and Technology in China: Implications and Lessons for India.

Citing an incident of IIT, Delhi, where he was invited as a chief guest, he said "the IIT graduates are known world wide. However, the people who take admission in post-graduate of IITs are not the graduates of IITs, which means having the first degree as an entry into various walks of life is highly valued but that first degree is not pursued for scientific research."

He also said both the problem and the solution lie in the social values a country follows.

"It is the social values we need to address before we can find answers to some valid questions that have been raised. It is the social organisation which has given them (China) the impetus and which we have denied to ourselves," Ansari said.

He suggested the focus should be on the totality of the social organisation rather than subject-wise comparison. "As a society, we need to look beyond that and try to see how we can correct it," he added.