National science awards rationalised, new formats to unfold this year

Aditi Tandon

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New Delhi, September 27

India’s principal science awards — Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards — currently presented in seven categories, will no longer exist in the current format from the next year with the government formalising new national awards in a new avatar.

As against one category of awards — Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar — the government will henceforth present National Science Awards in four categories — Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards which will be presented to 25 young innovators across 12 fields.

The second segment will be Vigyan Shree Awards for experts across sectors and there is no age limit to apply.

There will be three Vigyan Ratna Awards for lifetime achievement in science and a fourth category of Vigyan Team Awards (three awards for institutes) for collaborative research.

“All union science secretaries came together to rationalise the science awards,” Prime Minister’s Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Sood said.

The calls for awards will be published soon.

The Awards will henceforth be announced on May 11 (National Technology Day) and presented on August 23 (National Space Day), the day when the Vikram lander touched the moon.