India Science Award is one of the highest and the most prestigious national recognition by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

for outstanding contribution to

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. The primary and essential criterion for the award is demonstrated and widely accepted excellence in science. The award covers all areas of research in science including

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. The prize money is Rs 25 lakhs, and it also carries a citation and a gold medal. The award is announced and presented every year at the Indian Science Congress (ISC). The award was instituted by the 10th Prime Minister of India Shri

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

in 2003. The first award, for the year 2004, was given to a renowned chemist Prof CNR Rao, for his works in solid state and material chemistry, by Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

at the inauguration of the 93rd Indian Science Congress on 3 January 2006.

History

India Science Award was launched at the 90th Indian Science Congress on 3 January 2003, held at

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by Univers ...

, by the Prime Minister of India. On 30 June 2003 the

Ministry of Science and Technology (India) The Ministry of Science and Technology is the Indian government ministry charged with formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to science and technology in India. Organisation The ministry includes the fo ...

approved the framework and guidelines of the award. The meeting was attended by 20 eminent scientists, government officials, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Science and Technology.

Criteria

India Science Award is given annually in recognition of distinguished achievements in science, including medicine, engineering and agriculture. The recipient is a scientist, of no age limit, who had made a groundbreaking scientific research that is widely demonstrated and accepted, and the work done primarily in India.

Originality Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from replica, reproductions, clones, forgery, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romantici ...

and innovatory outputs are more important than mere quantity. Contribution to scientific development of the country has a huge impression. Groups or institutions are not eligible to receive this award. There can only be a maximum of two winners of the prize in a given year if more than one nominee is eligible.

Recipients

Discontinued after 2010

After 2010, the India Science Award was discontinued following its

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

with the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, Applied science, applied or Fundamenta ...

. The budget of the

was accordingly increased.

References

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External links