Delhi, Oct 23: Government of India has called on the States to join an exercise of building an evidence driven, inclusion national Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020) that would percolate to the grassroot level.

In a day-long meeting with States yesterday via video conference, Union Minister for Science & Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “Every State should become an equal partner and should share ownership and responsibility not only in formation of this policy but also in implementing them with full rigor”.

Dr. Vardhan remarked that the policy aims to re-energize scientific ecosystem and prioritise sectoral focus on science and technology for the overall benefit of the society and the economy. He also categorically stated that it is important for an harmonized Centre-State relationship based on the ideals of cooperative federalism.

He also informed that through extensive deliberations, the Science Technology Innovation Policy, 2020, proposes the institutionalization of Centre-State STI engagements and creation of pathways to successfully percolate the policy instrument to the grassroot levels.

The formulation of STIP 2020 is driven by four interrelated tracks, 21 expert-driven thematic groups, and focused public discussions. The process aims to define priority issues for the national STI ecosystem, recommendations with aligned implementation strategies, expected deliverables, and a rigorous monitoring mechanism.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma also participated in the consultative meeting, wherein he spoke on initiatives adopted by the State Government to elevate various sectors using technology. He also detailed out on interventions being made by the government to integrate technology for overall development of the society.