Context: The Union government is set to institute the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar i.e. 56 prizes to felicitate scientists, technologists, and innovators.
Akin to the prestigious Padma awards, these awards will not include any cash component; instead, they will likely bestow a certificate and a medallion on the awardee.
About the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar(RVP)
- The RVP will comprise three Vigyan Ratna, 25 Vigyan Shri, 25 Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, and three Vigyan Team awards.
- These prizes will be awarded annually for physics, chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics and computer science, earth science, medicine, engineering science, agricultural science, environmental science, technology and innovation, atomic energy, space science and technology, and a 13th category, simply called “others”.
- The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) awards, given by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) since 1958, now include ₹5 lakh per winner, as well as a salary perk.
- The new awards will also be open to persons of Indian origin (PIOs), though a maximum of one such may be awarded the Vigyan Ratna, while three PIOs each can be selected for the Vigyan Shri and the VYSSB.
- However, PIOs will not be eligible for the Vigyan Team awards.
- The Vigyan Ratna awards shall be for “lifetime contributions along with excellence made in any field of science”.
- Vigyan Shri for “distinguished contribution to any field”.
