Science and Indian Society E C G Sudarshan THE twenty-five years since Independence have seen a phenomenal expansion of scientific programmes and growth of national science laboratories. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC are major partners in this national undertaking with equally substantial, but perhaps less spectacular, contributions from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). The research undertaken by various university laboratories has grown significantly in quantity. The number of scientific workers has increased phenomenally and equally has grown the quantity of scientific output measured in terms of research papers and reports. The national expenditure on science research has steadily increased, and while it constitutes a smaller percentage of the gross national product than in many of the prosperous technologically developed countries, it seems to be steadily increasing towards that target.
