INDIA: In the budget for 2023–24 that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered to Parliament on Wednesday, the Ministry of Science and Technology received a budget of Rs 16,361 crore.
Science and Technology budget
In comparison to the previous budget, the amount allotted to the Ministry is more than Rs 2,000 crore. As part of its budget projections for the upcoming fiscal year, the Finance Ministry announced the updated statistics. In total, the Ministry received Rs 14,217,46 crore for the fiscal year 2022–2023.
A number of significant proposals, including the establishment of new centres of excellence for artificial intelligence, have led to an increase in funding for the Ministry.
The Ministry’s three departments of science and technology, biotechnology, and scientific and industrial research each receive a significant portion of the funding.
Finance Minister Sitharaman gave the Department of Science and Technology a budget of Rs 7931.05 and the Department of Biotechnology a budget of Rs 2683.86. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has received Rs 5746.51 in the meantime.
The annual budget for the Ministry of Science and Technology increased significantly. However, the Department of Space’s budget was reduced by Rs 1100 crore from the previous fiscal year.
The Department of Space, which oversees India’s space programme, received Rs 12543.91 crore from the Centre, compared to Rs 13,700 crore in the budget for 2022–23.
The Chandrayaan-3 expedition to the Moon and the Aditya L-1 mission to observe the Sun are two of the largest projects the Indian space agency will try, according to the Department of Space, which is led by ISRO chairman S Somnath.
The Gaganyaan mission, among others, could be further delayed if ISRO’s funding were significantly cut, despite the organization’s reputation for carrying out operations at a low cost around the world.
In the budget for 2023, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change received Rs 3079.40 as India works to achieve its net-zero goals.
In her budget statement, the finance minister stated that the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which has been given a budget of Rs 19,700 crore, will aid in the transformation of the economy into a low-carbon intensity and green economy. By 2030, the hydrogen mission will aim to produce 5 MMT of hydrogen annually.
Also Read: Aditya-L1: ISRO Plans to Launch India’s First Mission to Sun between June to July
