Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha Wednesday passed a bill that will pave the way for setting up an academy for innovative research in the field of science and technology.

The bill will enable the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to start an academy to award post-graduate and doctoral degrees after making certain amendments to the parent legislation.

The amendments to the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) Bill, 2011, moved by Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, clarified that that the academy would not invoke central laws to deny reservation to students from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in September, but following the amendments moved in Rajya Sabha, the draft legislation has to go back to the lower house for approval.

The bill envisages the establishment of an academy for advancement of learning and research in the field of science and technology in association with the CSIR. The bill also seeks to declare the institution, known as the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, to be an institution of national importance.

Deshmukh stressed that the main purpose of setting up such an academy of national importance is to check brain drain and encourage scientific research within the country.

Currently, scientists pursuing research in any of the 37 laboratories of CSIR across the country have to register themselves at different universities.