Centre to pull the plug on Indian Science Congress 'unless ISCA mends its ways'
Kalyan Ray | 03 January 2024 | Deccan Herald
New Delhi: After a continuous run for over a century, the Union government has decided to pull the plug on the Indian Science Congress following a rift between the Indian Science Congress Association – the principal organiser - and the Department of Science and Technology, the main funding agency. Barring a few exceptions since Independence, Prime Ministers have traditionally inaugurated the Indian Science Congress on January 3 each year, making it the only congregation of scientists headlined by the country’s topmost political office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too attended most of the Congresses since 2015, with the last one being held in Nagpur in 2022. In September, the DST announced the withdrawal of financial support to the ISCA for the 2024 event. Sources on Wednesday suggested that financial support would be unlikely in the future unless the ISCA "changes the way it functions"….