Vigyan Dhara Scheme

Why in news?

The Union Cabinet recently approved the continuation of three umbrella schemes merged into a unified central sector scheme called “Vigyan Dhara” under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

About Vigyan Dhara Scheme:

• It is a newcentral sector scheme unifying three umbrella schemes oftheDepartment of Science and Technology(DST).
• The scheme hasthree broad components:

Science and Technology(S&T) Institutional and Human Capacity Building,

• Research and Developmentand
• Innovation,Technology DevelopmentandDeployment.
• These three schemes have beenmerged into the unified scheme‘Vigyan Dhara’.
• This initiative,managed by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), is designed to enhance India's S&T capabilities through a streamlined approach
• Theproposed outlayfor the implementation of the unified scheme ‘Vigyan Dhara’ isRs.10,579.84 crore during the15th Finance Commissionperiod from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• The merger of the schemes into a single scheme would enhance efficiency in fund utilization and establish synchronization among the sub-schemes/programs.
• Theprimary objectiveof the 'Vigyan Dhara' scheme is topromote S&T capacity buildingas well asresearch, innovation, and technology developmenttowards strengthening the Science, Technology and Innovation ecosystem in the country.
• Components:
• The scheme endeavours to
• promote research in areas such as basic researchwith
• access totheinternational mega facilities,
• translational researchin sustainable energy, water, etc. and
• collaborative researchthrough international bilateral andmultilateral cooperation.
• It will also contribute tobuilding a critical human resource poolto strengthen the science and technology landscape andexpand the R&D baseof the country towardsimproving the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) researcher count.
• Focused interventionswill be taken upto enhance the participation of womenin the field of S&T with the ultimategoal of bringing gender parityin Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI)
• All the programsproposed under the ‘Vigyan Dhara’ schemewould be aligned with the 5-year goals of DST towardsrealising thevision of Viksit Bharat 2047
• The R&D componentof the scheme will bealigned in line with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).