Speakers, Papers Carefully Selected for Indian Science Cong's 107th Edition to Avoid 'Unscientific Discussion'

Bengaluru: In an effort to prevent unscientific discussions, the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) has been extra cautious with its selection of speakers and papers for its five-day summit underway in Bengaluru.

Dr S Rajendra Prasad, University of Agriculture Science (UAS) vice-chancellor and chairperson of the organising committee, told News18 that the five-day event is strictly for scientifically-backed research and not a platform to air personal views.

"We have seen in the past that people come onto the dais and speak unscientific things. To prevent this, we have put in place certain guidelines which have been followed,” he said.

G Nageswara Rao, the then vice chancellor of Andhra University, had last year sparked controversy at the summit by claiming that the 'Kauravas' were born out of stem-cell technology and Ram and Vishnu had used the science of guided missiles' thousands of years ago.

Such pseudo-scientific claims not only left the ISCA red-faced but also saw coveted scientists like Bharat Ratna awardee, Professor CNR Rao, disassociate himself from the body.

"99.9% of the times people only speak science. This time we have appointed sectional heads in all 14 sectors to scrutinise each and every paper. Many were rejected and only the best ones were chosen after a thorough check," said KS Rangappa, General President of ISCA Kolkata.

The 107th edition of the Indian Science Congress was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and will take place till January 7 at the UAS campus. This year’s theme is ‘Science & Technology: Rural Development’ in which the organisers hope to deliberate issues that can simplify rural and agrarian life.

"We need to bridge the urban-rural divide. And science and technology plays a big role in making this happen. Today, farmers are able to get information on their mobile phones, we have to see how to strengthen this further, whether there are policies that the government can bring about to help the rural economy? These are some of the topics that will be discussed," Rangappa said.