Scientific ministries have been earmarked Rs 37,435 crore in this year's budget, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said, with the Department of Space witnessing a maximum hike of over Rs 1,000 crore in its allocation.
Last year, the Departments of Space (DoS) and Atomic Energy (DAE), Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences were together earmarked Rs 32,030.72 crore.
Of the Rs 9,093 crore allocated to the Department of Space, Rs 4,155 crore has been allocated for capital expenditure, as ISRO embarks on several ambitious projects like Chandrayaan-2.
The DAE and DoS, which come under the Prime Minister's Office, has been showing phenomenal success with its projects like the Mars Orbiter Mission. This month ISRO is to send 103 satellites into space, a record of sorts.
The DoS has also been witnessing a steady rise in its budget. Last year, the department was allocated Rs 8,045 crore while in 2015-16, it got Rs 6,920 crore.
The DAE has been earmarked Rs 12,461 crore this year, of which Rs 124.50 crore has been allocated for nuclear power. The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), another major project, is likely to get critical this year. Several atomic power projects like Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS 7 and 8) and Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (units 3 and 4) are underway.
Research institutes under the DAE, namely the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Raja Ramana Centre for Advanced Technology, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, and Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, have been allocated Rs 3,062 crore, a rise of 814.42 crore in comparison to last year.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of S&T has been allocated Rs 4,446 crore in comparison to last year, which was Rs 4,062 crore.
The Departments of S&T and Biotechnology have been allocated Rs 4,817.27 and Rs 2,222.11 crore respectively.
The Ministry of Earth Science has been earmarked Rs 1,719.48 crore, in comparison to Rs 1,576.14 crore in 2016-17.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
