Earlier this month, India released its INR 5,75,000 crore ($96.1 billion ) budget, a 26.9% increase over last year’s spending. The 18,972 crore Central Government Outlay for the Science, Technology and Environment sector includes INR 600 crore for the Science and Engineering Research Board, INR 300 crore of R&D support for “multidisciplinary research in frontier areas of Science & Technology” and 125 crore to bolster at least five Technical Research Centres. The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Department of Biotechnology will receive INR 1,171 crore and INR 1,500 crore, respectively. The Department of Agricultural Research and Education has been allotted INR 3,715 crore. This funding includes INR 200 crore to create Agricultural and Horticultural Universities, INR 100 crore to establish two Agricultural Research Institutes of excellence and INR 56 crore to set up one hundred Mobile Soil Testing Laboratories. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been allotted INR 81,000 crore. Defense funds will include INR 100 crore for a Technology Development Fund for Defense.

Source: Ministry of Finance, Government of India