Indian elections fall flat on science

摘要

As India nears the end of its mammoth general-election process, research advocates warn that whichever party wins, the government must do more than pay lip service to science. Nearly 815 million people are eligible to vote in the staggered election, which started on 7 April and will end with vote-counting on 16 May. But with two of the three main parties making scant mention of science in their manifestos, researchers fear that Indian science will not get the boost it needs to become internationally competitive. The manifestos of the ruling Indian National Congress (often referred to as Congress), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the new Aam Admi Party (AAP) give mixed clues to what science policies they would pursue.