Lok Sabha Question No. 843 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: CSIR
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: K. Subbarayan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 843 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07/02/2024 Indian Science Congress

## 843. SHRI SUBBARAYAN Κ.:

Will  the  Minister  of  SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ͪव£ान  और  Ĥौɮयोͬगकȧ मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Indian Science Congress which used to be held during the first week of January every year in association with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) was not held this year i.e., 2024;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether it is a fact that the Department of Science and Technology has been conducting the India International Science Festival in association with the RSS led Vigyan Bharathi since 2015 and this year it is being held at Faridabad in Haryana from 17 to 20 January;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  is  thinking  of  discontinuing  the  Indian  Science Congress and continue with the India International Science Festival and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

ͪव£ान और Ĥौɮयोͬगकȧ मंğालय क े  राÏयमंğी (èवतंğ Ĥभार) (डॉ. िजतɅġ ͧसंह)

- (a) & (b):    Indian Science Congress (ISC) could not be held this year.
- (c) & (d): The  India  International  Science  Festival  (IISF)  is  a  collaborative endeavor between Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Department  of  Space  and  Department  of  Atomic  Energy.  IISF  is  conducted  in association with various other organizations which also includes Vigyan Bharathia science movement spearheaded by Scientists of the nation. IISF embarked on its journey in 2015 and its 9 th  edition has been hosted in the State of Haryana at the combined campus of DBT-THSTI and DBT-RCB, Faridabad from 17 to 20 January, 2024 in collaboration  with  National  Innovation  Foundation  (NIF),  an  autonomous body of DST.

## The details of the IISF since 2015 onwards are as follows:

| Edition of   | Venue of Event   | Dates of   | Coordinating/ Nodal Min/   |
|--------------|------------------|------------|----------------------------|
| Event        |                  | Event      | Dept.                      |

| IISF-2015   | Delhi - IIT Delhi                                                                                                                                                                                          | 4-8 December 2015   | Department of Science & Technology (DST)                                                                   |
|-------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| IISF-2016   | Delhi - CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Campus, New Delhi during                                                                                                                                   | 7-11 December 2016  | Department of Scientific and Industrial Research / Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR/CSIR) |
| IISF-2017   | Chennai (various venues including Anna University, Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and IIT-Madras. | 13-16 October 2017  | Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)                                                                          |
| IISF-2018   | Lucknow - Indira Gandhi Pratishthan                                                                                                                                                                        | 5-8 October 2018    | Department of Bio- Technology (DBT)                                                                        |
| IISF -2019  | Kolkata - Biswa Bangla Convention Centre                                                                                                                                                                   | 5-8 November 2019   | Department of Science & Technology (DST)                                                                   |
| IISF - 2020 | Delhi - Virtual Mode                                                                                                                                                                                       | 22-25 December 2020 | Department of Scientific and Industrial Research / Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR/CSIR) |
| IISF- 2021  | Goa - Panaji                                                                                                                                                                                               | 10-13 December 2021 | Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)                                                                          |
| IISF - 2022 | Bhopal - MANIT, Bhopal                                                                                                                                                                                     | 21-24 January 2023  | Department of Bio- Technology (DBT)                                                                        |
| IISF- 2023  | Faridabad - DBT THSTI-RCB Campus                                                                                                                                                                           | 17-20 January 2024  | Department of Science & Technology (DST)                                                                   |

- (e) IISF, whose primary objective is to commemorate the achievements of Indian Science  and  Technology  and  making  it  accessible  to  all,  is  an  annual  public outreach event. There is no link between IISF and Indian Science Congress. They are parallel events with different kind of mandates having no bearing on each other. This year DST has disassociated itself from ISC, but there is no plan of discontinuing the Indian Science Congress permanently as of now.

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