In an attempt to convert ‘brain-drain’ to ‘brain-gain’, the Indian government announced some special initiatives it plans to implement at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas gathering in Bengaluru, India on Sunday.
Over 6000 Non-residential Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian-Origin (PIOs) have gathered in India for the 3-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas gathering, the biennial event that celebrates the Indian diaspora.
On this occasion, Indian’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will soon offer persons of Indian origin opportunities to work in India’s research and academic institutions.
$35000 FOR SCIENTISTS WHO SPEND 3 MONTHS IN INDIA ON COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
Source: MEA
Modi said India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) would manage this outreach scheme, titled Visiting Adjunct Joint Research Faculty or VAJRA.
The scheme is aimed to make it possible for PIOs to contribute to India's growth through science and technology.
Under the scheme, PIO scientists will be able to spend up to three months a year (for up to five years) at an Indian institution and establish collaborative research ties.
DST’s senior official was quoted by The Telegraph saying the visiting faculty would be paid $15,000 in the first month and $10,000 each month during the next two months.
"Our target is to get about 1,000 visiting scientists - 500 PIOs and 500 foreign scientists - over the next five years," Ramasamy Brakaspathy, head of the DST's Science and Engineering Research Board, said.
VAJRA will also be open to foreign scientists, officials said.
LUCRATIVE TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS FOR ACADEMICS
In another session on ‘Nurturing India’s young ambassadors: reaching out to Indian students abroad and NRI and OCI students in India’, India’s Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javdekar urged NRIs and PIOs to take up lucrative teaching assignments.
“A decision to this effect will be finalised soon. Also, as part of this large strategy, a decision to open 20 universities of global standards will be set up in the country.
Out of the 20 universities, about 10 will be public institutions and remaining private varsities,” he added.
HRD Ministry has finalised the guidelines with regard to opening up of more universities. “Very soon it will be implemented as a policy and executed in a short time.”
Javadekar also said that the Cabinet had approved the creation of the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) to give a major push for the creation of high quality infrastructure in premier educational institutions. It will have a capital of Rs. 2,000 crore for the purpose and the Government equity would be Rs. 1,000 crore.
This agency will then raise up to Rs. 20,000 crore for funding infrastructure projects and development of world-class labs in professional institutions.
To provide scholarship and opportunities for both Indian and NRI students, the government will be launching Global Research Interactive Network programme. This would help the students to work with reputed foreign laboratories and enjoy the liberty of returning to India to continue with research. This plan is to minimise brain drain, he explained.
