The Government of India has unveiled the recipients of the second edition of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) awards, recognizing the scientific achievements of 24 individual scientists and one team. This year”s awards, similar to those in 2024, are categorized into four main groups: Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award, and the Vigyan team award.
The Vigyan Ratna and Vigyan Shri awards are designated for scientists who have made significant lifelong contributions and notable recent achievements, respectively. The Yuva award caters to individuals under the age of 45, while the team award recognizes collective efforts in technological development. Although the total number of awards across all categories is limited to 56, this year”s total falls short of the 33 honors awarded in the previous year.
The announcement of the awards faced delays of several months, which may suggest an increased level of scrutiny regarding the selection of awardees. Unlike previous national science awards such as the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards, there is no monetary component associated with the RVP, aligning it more closely with the esteemed Padma awards.
However, the heightened examination presents challenges. In the previous year, some scientists were initially informed that they would receive awards, only to later find out that their nominations had been rescinded. This led to a collective appeal from several distinguished scientists in India to the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA), seeking greater transparency in the award selection process. Concerns were raised about the influence of factors beyond scientific merit, such as criticism of government policies and political affiliations, on the selection decisions.
The PSA has not provided a definitive response to these concerns, merely indicating that the selection committee, known as the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee, chaired by the PSA and composed of various ministry secretaries and members of scientific academies, makes recommendations to the Minister of Science and Technology. It remains unclear whether the Minister has the authority to reject the committee”s recommendations.
The RVP awards were established after discussions among the Ministry of Home Affairs and heads of scientific departments in 2022, who concluded that the proliferation of awards from individual scientific departments warranted consolidation to enhance their prestige as national honors. While awards like the SSB have also involved the Science Minister in their finalization, the centralization of the RVP process and its apparent aim to emulate the Padma awards contribute to perceptions of increased politicization.
If the intention behind the RVP is to elevate its prestige, it is imperative for the government to adopt a hands-off approach, allowing scientists to independently assess the merits of their peers.
