Action plan to stem brain drain from INDIA
To stop the flight of scientific talent from the country, Government is contemplating ways of making the working environment in cutting edge departments more attractive, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday. "We have to think of new ways to stem the hemorrhage of scientific talent from our key technology department, particularly in today's competitive environment" Singh told the country's top defence scientists. Singh said he had asked senior officials to work out measures and devise ways to make careers in science more attractive. "Apart from fiscal and career incentives, we are willing to consider mobility between such (scientific) institutions and academia, as well from research institutions to production and marketing sectors," Singh said at the function to honour excellence in defence research. "My own Scientific Advisory Council is also deliberating this question", the Prime Minister said. He, however, cautioned that this cannot become an "unrestricted" right. "It must be exercised with responsibility." The Prime Minister said the Government was looking at ways to outsource a percentage of tasks assigned to research facilities to industry, wherever, it was feasible." "This will enable our institutions to focus on development of technology, while applications, industrialization and related aspects are devolved to industry," he added.

BY: ASIM SINGHAL

PGDM IIIrd