5 February 2026·PIB

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: DECLINING PUBLIC RESEARCH FUNDING

In this note

1. At a Glance

A Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha reply (05 Feb 2026) by the Ministry of Science & Technology rebutting the narrative of "declining" public R&D funding, citing rising GERD and budget allocations to scientific departments [1][4].
Anchored in the DST "R&D Statistics 2022-23" report; GERD more than doubled from ₹60,197 cr (2010-11) to ₹1,27,381 cr (2020-21) [1][3].
Tests aspirant's grip on GERD as % of GDP (~0.64%), ANRF Act 2023, and the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund — recurring Prelims/Mains hooks [2][3].

05 Feb 2026 parliamentary reply by MoS S&T Dr. Jitendra Singh counters concerns of falling public R&D spend; pegs GERD growth and lists budgetary allocations to six major scientific agencies [1].
Follows the operationalisation of the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund by the Union Cabinet (2025) routed through ANRF's Special Purpose Fund [2].

2013: Science, Technology and Innovation Policy targeted GERD at 2% of GDP — still unmet [3].
2020: NEP 2020 recommended a National Research Foundation to fund university-led research [2].
Aug 2023: Parliament passed Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Act, 2023; subsumed the erstwhile SERB (2008) [2].
05 Feb 2024: ANRF Act came into force; corpus ₹50,000 cr (2023-28) [2].
2025: Cabinet approved ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund for sunrise/strategic sectors, parked in ANRF's Special Purpose Fund (SPF) [2].
2026: Special Financial Rules 2026 notified for RDI Fund utilisation [2].

Source report: DST "Research & Development Statistics 2022-23" [1][3].
GERD 2010-11: ₹60,197 cr → 2020-21: ₹1,27,381 cr (more than doubled) [1].
GERD/GDP (2020-21): 0.64% — below world average (~1.8%); China ~2.4%, US ~3.5%, South Korea ~4.8% [3].
GERD sectoral share (2020-21): Central Govt 43.7%, State Govts 6.7%, Higher Education 8.8%, Public Sector Industry 4.4%, Private Sector 36.4% [3].
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Science & Technology; DST is administrative dept for ANRF [2].
ANRF corpus: ₹50,000 cr over 2023-28; ₹14,000 cr Govt + ₹36,000 cr private/philanthropic envisaged [2].
RDI Fund: ₹1,00,000 cr; governed via SPF inside ANRF [2].
Six Major Scientific Agencies with budget annexure: DST, DBT, DSIR/CSIR, DAE, DoS (ISRO), MoES [1].

Economic

Low GERD/GDP correlates with sub-optimal TFP growth; private sector R&D share (~36%) is half that of OECD peers (>70%) [3].
RDI Fund targets sunrise sectors (semiconductors, AI, quantum, biotech) to crowd-in private capital [2].

Scientific / Technological

ANRF is modelled on US NSF; mandate spans natural sciences, engineering, humanities & social sciences [2].
Aligns with NEP 2020 push for university-led research; addresses concentration of R&D in central labs (CSIR, DRDO, ISRO) [2].

Administrative / Governance

ANRF governed by Governing Board chaired by the Prime Minister; Union Ministers (Science, Education) as Vice-Presidents [2].
DST is administrative department; SERB Act 2008 repealed and absorbed [2].

Federal

States contribute only 6.7% of GERD — skew towards Centre; ANRF envisaged to mobilise state and private funds [3].

Comparative

India's 0.64% vs Israel ~5%, South Korea ~4.8%; underscores "innovation deficit" critique in Economic Survey narratives [3].

05 Feb 2024: ANRF Act enforced [2].
2025: Cabinet nod to ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund; ANRF Executive Council approves operationalisation framework [2].
2026: Special Financial Rules 2026 for RDI Fund utilisation gazetted by DST [2].
05 Feb 2026: PIB release on R&D Expenditure (PRID 2223736) and the present Parliament Question (PRID 2223742) [1][4].

DST's flagship statistical report: R&D Statistics 2022-23 [1].
GERD 2020-21 = ₹1,27,381 cr; ~0.64% of GDP [1][3].
ANRF Act, 2023 enforced on 05 February 2024 [2].
ANRF subsumed Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), established under SERB Act 2008 [2].
ANRF corpus ₹50,000 cr over 2023-28; of which ~₹36,000 cr to come from non-government sources [2].
RDI Fund corpus: ₹1,00,000 cr; custodian = Special Purpose Fund within ANRF [2].
Governing Board of ANRF chaired by the Prime Minister [2].
Largest contributor to GERD: Central Government (43.7%); private sector = 36.4% [3].
Six major scientific departments enumerated: DST, DBT, CSIR, DAE, DoS, MoES [1].
ANRF inspired by NEP 2020 recommendation and modelled on US NSF [2].
Administrative Department for ANRF: Department of Science and Technology (not Ministry of Education) [2].

GS-III: "Science & Technology — developments, indigenization; Government policies and interventions."
GS-II: "Government policies for various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation."
Probable stems: 1. "Despite repeated policy commitments, India's GERD remains below 1% of GDP. Examine the structural reasons and assess whether the ANRF Act, 2023 can bridge the gap." (GS-III) 2. "Critically evaluate the role of the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund in catalysing private sector R&D in sunrise sectors." (GS-III) 3. "Indian R&D is state-funded and lab-centric, unlike the university-led models of advanced economies. Discuss." (GS-II/III)

ANRF's administrative ministry is DST under M/o S&T, NOT Ministry of Education — despite NEP origin.
ANRF Act passed 2023, enforced 2024 — distinguish enactment vs commencement dates.
GERD ≠ government R&D spend — GERD includes private; ~36% is private.
₹50,000 cr (ANRF corpus 2023-28) is distinct from ₹1,00,000 cr RDI Fund — often conflated.
SERB repealed, not merely renamed; functions absorbed into ANRF.
India's GERD/GDP is ~0.64%, not "below 0.5%" as sometimes quoted from older data.