As the recent trend suggests that the interest in science, especially at intermediate level is waning, the State Government has come up with a slew of measures to reverse the trend and to encourage students to take up scientific activities besides, institutionalising the entire process of preparing scientists in Jharkhand. The measures were suggested on Wednesday at a meeting of Jharkhand Science and Technology Council.
To put a brake on the falling graph of performance in science, the Government has decided to encourage students by starting award system for first three best performing students in science at matric and intermediate examinations conducted by Jharkhand Academic Council. The awards have been named after renowned mathematician, Aryabhatt, scientists Shrinivas Ramanujam and Jagdish Chandra Bose.
"Awareness about science is needed to promote scientific and logical viewpoints. So in order to develop scientific thinking, the State Government has decided to felicitate three students securing highest marks in JAC examinations for matric and intermediate," said Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
Besides, the State Government has also decided to organise State level programmes to encourage children with scientific bent of mind. Students from class-6 to class-12 will be felicitated for research in science. Also, the CM has issued instructions to setup a corpus of Rs 5-crore to encourage child scientists. Similarly, incentives for students of BSc, MSc studying in State universities have also been proposed to help them in further education.
While chairing the meeting of the council, the CM emphasised on upgrading BIT-Sindri into a centre of excellence and instructed officials of Science and Technology department to expedite the process of making the institution an autonomous body. Das expressed that scientists should be groomed in Jharkhand and theme-based projects must be undertaken to achieve that. He also instructed Ranchi DC to provide 25-acres of land for the proposed Science City.
As Jharkhand stares at a crisis of scientists the State government has decided to setup 'Innovation Hub'-which is part of the 55 such centres being setup by central government across the country-- at Ranchi to promote path-breaking ideas.
The first of its kind of institution in Jharkhand will be setup at an estimated cost of Rs 1.86-crore and it will identify people brimming with original ideas to provide them platform for a better future. Each Innovation Hub will have laboratories where students can experiment, solve problems, create, design and play with topics that they learn as kids in schools. Teachers will be available at these Innovation Hubs to help kids with the experiments.
Underscoring the significance of rich biodiversity of the State the CM stressed on development and conservation of Fossil Park at Rajmahal and placed the responsibility of assuring that on the shoulders of officials of Forest and Environment. "Prepare a DPR for creating residential, parking areas and other amenities. And for that the department should take help of experts of geological park at Indian School of Mines," added Das.
The meeting of the council was attended by Development Commissioner and Additional CS, RS Poddar; Principal Secretary, Finance, Amit Khare; Principal Secretary, Planning and Development, AK Singh; Secretary to CM, Sunil Barnwal; VC of Ranchi University, RC Pandey and officials of HRD department.