To strengthen social science and research, organisations promoting such activities today decided to form a network of such bodies in South and South East Asia.
The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and its partners have also urged the government and other South Asian countries to invest more in social science research to create a robust and progressive infrastructure and ecosystem that adequately supports research inputs in policy making.
At a conference here, ICSSR Chairman Sukhadeo Thorat said, "There is a need to form a task force that will help in drawing synergies between the participating countries and also facilitate mutual cooperation to give the right impetus to social science research."
Social sciences, he contended, have been relegated to a marginal position in policy making not only in India but also in many other Asian countries of this region.
Member Secretary of ICSSR Ramesh Dadhich said robust policies like MGNREGA scheme and National Rural Health Mission could be made far more responsive and progressive if active social science ingredients were integrated by getting social science researchers to do concurrent evaluations.
Social science research in India is funded by the government, ICSSR and UGC. The primary role of ICSSR since the time of its inception has been to promote social sciences and also facilitate research utilisation.
It is an autonomous agency set up with a mandate to new research in all the social science disciplines.
