Lok Sabha Question No. 3721 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Aims of Anusandhan National Research Foundation
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri  Selvaganapathi T.M.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3721 ANSWERED ON 18/12/2024

AIMS OF ANUSANDHAN NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION 3721.   SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Anusandhan National Research Foundation aims to establish a Rs.50,000 crore corpus with Rs.36,000 crore of it coming in from non-governmental sources;
- (b) whether the Government has constituted a governing board of the said Anusandhan National Research Foundation;
- (c) if so, the composition thereof;
- (d) whether the first meeting of the ANRF was held recently; and
- (e) if so, the details of the deliberations made in the said meeting?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी तथा पृ थ्िी विज्ञान मंत्रालय क े राज्य मंत्री ( स्ितंत्र प्रभार) ( डॉ. जितेंद्र स ंह )

- (a) The  Anusandhan  National  Research  Foundation  (ANRF)  aims  to  receive funds amounting to Rs. 50,000 crore during 2023-28 in the form of ANRF Fund, Innovation  Fund,  Science  and  Engineering  Research  Fund,  Special  Purpose Funds.  A  budgetary  provision  of  Rs.  14,000  crore  is  made  from  the  Central Government and remaining amount will be sourced through donations from any other  source,  including  from  public  sector  enterprises,  the  private  sector, philanthropist organizations, foundations or international bodies.
- (b) to (c): A  Governing  Board  (GB)  of  ANRF  has  been  constituted  and  the Central Government notified the GB of the following composition in the Gazette of India:

|   1 | The Prime Minister of India                                      | President (ex-officio)       |
|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------|
|   2 | The Union Minister of Science and Technology                     | Vice-President (ex- officio) |
|   3 | The Union Minister of Education                                  | Vice-President (ex- officio) |
|   4 | A Member from the NITI Aayog dealing with science and technology | Member (ex-officio)          |

|   5 | Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Science and Technology             | Member (ex-officio)           |
|-----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|   6 | Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research | Member (ex-officio)           |
|   7 | Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Biotechnology                      | Member (ex-officio)           |
|   8 | Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Higher Education                   | Member (ex-officio)           |
|   9 | Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India                                      | Member-Secretary (ex-officio) |
|  10 | Dr. Manjul Bhargava Professor, Princeton University, USA                                     | Member                        |
|  11 | Dr. Romesh T Wadhwani Chairperson, Symphony Technology Group California and New York, USA    | Member                        |
|  12 | Dr. Raghuvendra Tanwar Chair, Indian Council of Historical Research                          | Member                        |
|  13 | Dr. Jayaram N. Chengalur Director, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research                    | Member                        |
|  14 | Prof. G Rangarajan Director, Indian Institute of Science                                     | Member                        |
|  15 | Dr. Subra Suresh Professor at Large, Brown University, USA                                   | Member                        |

(d) to (e): The first meeting of the GB was held on 10 th  September 2024 under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister as the President of the GB. The GB discussed strategic interventions of ANRF which are required to accelerate and strengthen the S&T landscape of the country. The deliberations included global positioning of India in key sectors, aligning R&D with national priorities, promoting inclusive growth, capacity building, driving scientific advances and innovation  ecosystem,  stimulating  the  latent  potential  of  universities  and colleges, bridging the gap  between  academic  research  and  industrial applications through industry-aligned translational research and implementing programs to boost the country's research ecosystem and accelerate scientific and technological advancements. R&D programs which were aligned with the discussions, namely, Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PMECRG), the Mission for Advancement in High-Impact Areas -Electric Vehicle (MAHAEV), Inclusivity Research Grant (IRG), Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) have been launched.

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