No directive to restrict choice of subjects for research;
Government believes in the principle of freedom in research
The Ministry of Human Resource Development has not issued any directive to restrict choice of subjects for research, as has been reported in a section of media since the Government believes in the principle of freedom in research.
Last year, there was a meeting of Vice Chancellors of 11 Central Universities, which were lacking in research. In the said meeting they presented a road map to improve research and also discussed the issue of more research on issues relating to national priorities. The minutes of the meeting were recorded.
The Government has given impetus to improve and expand research facilities. The Government has provided Rs 480 crore for Social Science Research Project under Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences (IMPRESS); Rs 225 Crore for research in basic sciences; Rs 1000 crore under Impacting Research, Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) for technology related research; Rs 450 crore under STRIDE for research in Humanities; and Rs 480 crore under Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) for joint research with foreign universities in any discipline.
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