A combined allocation of Rs 14,697 crore has been made to two science ministries in the 2019-20 Interim Budget, recording a marginal hike from last years's allotment, figures suggest.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), which has several crucial institutions like the India Meteorological Department (IMD) under it, has been given Rs 1,901 crore.
The MoES had been allocated Rs 1,800 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 1,541 crore in 2017-18.
A senior official of the MoES said funds would be spent on projects like adding new radars, automatic weather stations (AWS), procuring aircraft for conducting atmospheric experiments and also a submersible vessel for deep ocean mining research.
The Ministry of Science and Technology (S&T) has three wings under it -- the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Each department has unique expertise and together have over 70 institutes under them with very niche research areas.
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The DST has been allocated Rs 5,321 crore, which is Rs 207 crore more than the 2018-19 Budget. The DST also executes some of the high-ticket projects like adding new supercomputers in the country and interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems.
The DBT has been allocated Rs 2,580 crore, which is Rs 169 crore more than the last fiscal.
The CSIR has been allocated Rs 4,895 crore. Last year, the allocation for CSIR was Rs 4,572 crore.