Why dearth of Nobel laureates in India, asks Harsh Vardhan

Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan on Friday said there is a need to "brainstorm" on the issue of the dearth of Nobel laureates from India.

He lamented about how scientists have not received the coveted prize after Sir C.V. Raman, who bagged the honour in 1930.

"We had one Nobel prize. We should also brainstorm over why no other Nobel prize after so many years," Harsh Vardhan said.

"We can start dreaming at least now about getting a few in the foreseeable future. That is possible," the minister said during a visit to the 139-year-old Indian Association for Cultivation of Science (IACS) here.

C.V. Raman made the path-breaking discovery related to scattering of light on February 28, 1928. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Raman worked from 1907 to 1933 at IACS and performed several of the key experiments that led to the finding.

Harsh Vardhan encouraged students and scientists to envision a "fresh new dream" for themselves, their departments and their institute.