Lok Sabha Question No. 3321 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-12
Subject: Women in Scientific Institutions
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Feroze Varun Gandhi

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3321 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12/7/2019

Women in Scientific Institutions

## 3321. SHRI FEROZE VARUN GANDHI:

## Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY वान और ौयोगक मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  of  women  in  areas  of  Scientific  Research  and  Development  (R&D)  and  in Scientific Institution under the Ministry in the country; and
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to improve the number of women participation in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field of education and to increase the number of women as STEM experts in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE; MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND

## TECHNOLOGY; AND MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

## वाय और परवार कयाण मंी ; वान और ौयोगक मंी ; और पृ वी वान मंी

डॉ. हष वधन

- (a) According to Official Statistics available as on 01 April 2015, 39,389 women scientists are directly  engaged  in  R&D  activities  at  various  Research  &  Development  (R&D)  establishments. Out  of  39,389  women  scientists,  13,313  women  are  in  S&T  institutions;  14,700  are  in  higher education and 11,376 women are in industrial sector.
- (b) 'Women Scientist Scheme' under KIRAN is a flagship programme of the Department of Science  and  Technology  (DST)  that  provides  career  opportunities  including  fellowships  to unemployed women scientists and technologists, especially those who had a break in career, for pursuing  research  in  frontier  areas  of  Science  and  Engineering.  There  are  three  major components  of  Women  Scientist  Scheme  namely,  i)  Women  Scientists  Scheme-A  (WOS-A)  for conducting research in Basic & Applied Sciences, ii) Women Scientists Scheme-B (WOS-B) for projects that entail S&T interventions for Societal Benefit and iii) Women Scientists Scheme-C (WOS-C) that enables them to become Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) professional. In 201718, DST initiated 'Indo-US Fellowship for Women  in STEMM'  (Science, Technology, Engineering,  Mathematics  &  Medicine)  to  provide  opportunities  to  Indian  Women  Scientists, Engineers &  Technologists to undertake International collaborative research in premier institutions in USA for duration of 3-6 months. Further, DST has conceived and launched Pilot of new  programme  'Vigyan  Jyoti'  during  2017-18  for  intervention  at  school  level  to  significantly enhance  participation  of  girls  in  higher  education  and  careers  in  Science  &  Engineering. Biotechnology  Career  Advancement  and  Re-orientation  Programme  (Bio-CARe)  for  women Scientists  of  Department  of  Biotechnology  is  aimed  at  career  development  of  employed/ unemployed women Scientists. The scheme is open for all areas of Life Science / Biology. Under 'Consolidation of University Research through Innovation and Excellence in Women Universities (CURIE)  Programme'  the  women  only  Universities  are  being  supported  for  development  of research infrastructure and creation of state-of-the-art research laboratories which also enhances women's  participation  in  Research  &  Development  activities  in  S&T  domain.  The  Expert Committees in DST have balanced representation of gender and age.

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