Our outstanding human resources have the capacity to make India a knowledge society. The National Agricultural Innovation Project for research at the frontiers of agricultural science is expected to receive multilateral assistance shortly, and will be launched in July.

Institutions of Excellence

Last year, I made a beginning with an unprecedented grant of Rs 100 crore to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore to help develop it into a world-class institutionThis year, I must recognise another historical event. Three great Universities have entered their 150th year. These are the University of Calcutta, the University of Mumbai and the University of Madras. I propose to mark the beginning of the 150th year celebrations with a grant of Rs 50 crore to each University for a specified research department or a research programme in that University.

On the conclusion of the year, I intend to make another grant of Rs 50 crore to each of them.

I propose to make the special grant of Rs 100 crore for an institution of excellence to a distinguished institution, the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, in acknowledgement of its pioneering contribution to the green revolution.

The Next Frontier

If agriculture is an ancient Indian skill, biotechnology is the new frontier that India will conquer. In order to foster research and development in biotechnology, the Ministry of Science and Technology has decided to accord the status of an autonomous National Institute to the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

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