Lok Sabha Question No. 2101 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-12
Subject: Problems faced by Women Scientists due to Break-in-Career
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Dr. Bhola Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2101 ANSWERED ON 12/03/2025

## PROBLEMS FACED BY WOMEN SCIENTISTS DUE TO BREAK-IN-CAREER

## 2101. Dr. BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- whether it is a fact that the Government has taken steps to address the
- (a) problem faced by Women Scientists due to 'break-in-career';
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details of beneficiaries during the last five years, State-wise?

## 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) to (b): Yes  Sir.  The  Department  of  Science  and  Technology  (DST)  is implementing a comprehensive initiative, Women in Science and EngineeringKIRAN (WISE-KIRAN) to address the problems of Women Scientists due to 'break-in-career'  and  strengthen  women's  participation  in  STEM  (Science, Technology,  Engineering,  and  Mathematics)  fields.  This  initiative  includes multiple programs that provide opportunities for women in STEM at different career stages. Department implemented the Women Scientist Scheme (WOS), which  included  three  programs:  WOS-A  for  research  in  basic  and  applied sciences, WOS-B for lab-to-land translational research for societal benefit and WOS-C for training in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Following a third-party review, these programs have been restructured into four new initiatives under WISE-KIRAN.  The  WISE  Fellowship  for  Ph.D.  (WISE-PhD)  program  supports

women pursuing  doctoral  research  in  basic  and  applied  sciences.  Women scientists and technologists between the ages of 27 and 45 years are eligible for this opportunity. The WISE Post-Doctoral Fellowship (WISE-PDF) and WISESocietal  Challenges  with  Opportunities  (WISE-SCOPE)  programs  provide opportunities for women to conduct lab based basic/applied or translational lab-to-land research respectively in STEM. WISE-PDF focuses on laboratorybased research in basic and applied sciences, while WISE-SCOPE supports translational research that addresses societal challenges. Both programs are open to women scientists and technologists aged 27 to 60 years who wish to continue their research careers. The WISE Internship in Intellectual Property Rights  (WISE-IPR)  program  provides  training  in  the  field  of  Intellectual Property Rights, with the goal of enabling self-employment opportunities in this sector. Women between the ages of 25 and 45 years can apply for this internship. DST is also implementing the WIDUSHI program, which supports senior women scientists in two categories: retired women scientists between the  ages  of  57  and  62  years  and  women  scientists  who  are  not  in  regular employment, within the age range of 45 to 62 years. This program allows them to continue contributing to the scientific advancements.

The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India had initiated a special scheme 'Biotechnology Career Advancement and Re-orientation  (BioCARe)'  in  the  year  2011  with  the  aim  to  enhance participation of women scientists in India towards research in Biotechnology and  allied  areas.  It  also  provides  a  unique  opportunity  to  those  women researchers who had a break in their career to help them re-enter into the mainstream research and to provide a launch pad for further forays into the field  of  science  and  technology  and  hence,  support  in  their  overall  career development.

## (c) The details of beneficiaries from the DST-WISE-KIRAN and DBT- BioCARe schemes during the last five years, state-wise is given below: DST-WISE-KIRAN SCHEME

| Name of State/UT   |   FY 2020-21 |   FY 2021-22 |   FY 2022-23 |   FY 2023-24 |   FY 2024-25 |
|--------------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
| Andhra Pradesh     |            4 |            4 |            2 |            4 |            5 |
| Andaman & Nicobar  |            1 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Assam              |            5 |            1 |            5 |            3 |           17 |
| Bihar              |            1 |            1 |            1 |            0 |            0 |
| Chandigarh         |            2 |            0 |            9 |            1 |            9 |
| Chhattisgarh       |            3 |            1 |            0 |            0 |            3 |
| Delhi              |           19 |           16 |           26 |           24 |           52 |
| Goa                |            0 |            2 |            0 |            0 |            3 |
| Gujarat            |            5 |            0 |            4 |            7 |            9 |
| Haryana            |            4 |            4 |            2 |            3 |           11 |
| Himachal Pradesh   |            3 |            1 |            1 |            0 |            4 |
| Jammu and Kashmir  |            5 |            0 |           11 |            6 |           17 |
| Jharkhand          |            0 |            1 |            3 |            1 |            2 |
| Karnataka          |           15 |            7 |           16 |           11 |           24 |
| Kerala             |           10 |           16 |           19 |            6 |           36 |
| Madhya Pradesh     |            7 |            4 |            3 |            1 |           16 |
| Maharashtra        |           31 |           14 |           20 |           11 |           41 |
| Manipur            |            3 |            0 |            2 |            1 |            2 |
| Mizoram            |            0 |            0 |            0 |            3 |            4 |
| Nagaland           |            0 |            0 |            1 |            2 |            0 |
| Orissa             |            1 |            3 |            4 |            1 |           10 |
| Puducherry         |            2 |            0 |            1 |            0 |            2 |
| Punjab             |            8 |            1 |           12 |            8 |           16 |
| Rajasthan          |            3 |            3 |            5 |            4 |            9 |
| Sikkim             |            0 |            0 |            1 |            0 |            1 |
| Tamil Nadu         |           17 |           14 |           20 |           18 |           39 |
| Telangana          |           13 |            3 |           19 |           12 |           34 |
| Tripura            |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            3 |
| Uttar Pradesh      |           20 |            9 |           17 |           16 |           44 |
| Uttarakhand        |            9 |            3 |            2 |            3 |           13 |
| West Bengal        |           12 |            7 |           16 |           14 |           34 |

DBT- BioCARe SCHEME

| Name of State/UT   |   FY 2020-21 |   FY 2021-22 |   FY 2022-23 |   FY 2023-24 |   FY 2024-25 |
|--------------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
| Andhra Pradesh     |            1 |            1 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Assam              |            1 |            1 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Bihar              |            2 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Chandigarh         |            1 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Goa                |           00 |            1 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Gujarat            |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Haryana            |            3 |            1 |            0 |            1 |            1 |
| Jammu and Kashmir  |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Jharkhand          |            2 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Karnataka          |            3 |            2 |            1 |            5 |            5 |
| Kerala             |            1 |            2 |            0 |            3 |            3 |
| Madhya Pradesh     |            1 |            0 |            0 |            2 |            2 |
| Maharashtra        |            3 |            4 |            1 |            6 |            8 |
| Manipur            |            0 |            1 |            0 |            2 |            1 |
| Mizoram            |            0 |            0 |            0 |            1 |            1 |
| New Delhi          |           12 |           13 |            2 |           12 |           10 |
| Orissa             |            1 |            1 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Punjab             |            1 |            3 |            0 |            6 |            5 |
| Rajasthan          |            1 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| Tamilnadu          |            3 |            2 |            0 |            7 |            6 |
| Telangana          |            2 |            1 |            0 |            4 |            4 |
| Uttar Pradesh      |            3 |            1 |            0 |            6 |            6 |
| Uttarakhand        |            2 |            0 |            0 |            0 |            0 |
| West Bengal        |            1 |            2 |            0 |            4 |            3 |

*****