India
The Indian government released its federal fiscal budget for 2018-19 earlier this month. The budget bill pushes greater increases for internet technology and health care systems, while funding for basic science remained flat or experienced nominal increases.
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers’ Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals will receive INR 199.7 million ($3.1 million), a major decrease of 68.5%. The budget for the Department of Pharmaceuticals, also a part of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, will stay flat at INR 261.5 million ($4.1 million).
A section of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the budget for the Department of Food and Public Distribution’s budget increased nominally to INR 1.7 trillion ($27.3 billion), while the Ministry of Food Processing Industries’ budget remained flat at INR 14.0 billion ($22 million).
The budget for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Department of Health Research also remained flat at INR 18.0 billion ($28.2 million). The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had its budget increase nominally to INR 51.5 billion ($80.7 million), while the budget for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas jumped 13.5% to INR 311.0 billion ($487.9 million).
Science funding also remained largely flat, with the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Department of Biotechnology remaining the same at INR 24.1 billion ($37.8 million), and the Department of Science and Technology’s budget rising just 1.3% to INR 51.1 billion ($80.2 million). The budget for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research also increased nominally, not even 1%, to INR 48.0 billion ($75.2 million).
