Science and Tech Awards to Get Padma-style Makeover into Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar

Science and Tech Awards to Get Padma-style Makeover into Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Policy and schemes

Introduction:

• The Union Government is consolidating nearly 300 science awards from various science-affiliated Ministries into 56 centrally-administered Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) awards.
• These awards will no longer include cash prizes; instead, they will offer a certificate and medallion to the awardee.

Annual Announcement and Award Dates:

• Announced annually on May 11, coinciding with National Technology Day.
• Will be awarded on National Space Day, which falls on August 23.

Categories of RVP Awards:

• The RVP awards will comprise:
  • 3 Vigyan Ratna awards,
  • 25 Vigyan Shri awards,
  • 25 Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards, and
  • 3 Vigyan Team awards.
• These awards will cover various disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics and computer science, earth science, medicine, engineering science, agricultural science, environmental science, technology and innovation, atomic energy, space science and technology, and a category called ‘Others‘.
• The proposal emphasizes fair representation and gender diversity among awardees.
• Eligibility extended to Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) with category-specific quotas.

Award Criteria:

• Vigyan Ratna awards will recognize “lifetime contributions along with excellence made in any field of science”.
• Vigyan Shri awards will honor“distinguished contribution to any field”
• Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards will celebrate “exceptional contribution by young scientists”.
• Vigyan Team awards will be for three or more researchers who have made an “exceptional contribution as a team”.
• PIOs will not be eligible for the Vigyan Team awards.
• There are no age limits for most prizes, except the Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards, which have a maximum age limit of 45 years for recipients.

Commencement and Administration:

• The RVP awards will begin in 2024 and will be conferred by the President of India or the Vice President.
• A committee will be constituted annually consisting of:
  • Secretaries from six science Ministries
  • Presidents of science and engineering academies, and
  • Distinguished scientists and technologists from various fields.
• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will manage awards initially for two years, then oversight shifts to the National Research Foundation.