Meanwhile, there are some good signs as well. A year ago, the central government sanctioned Rs 500 crore each for three new science educational institutions. Called the Indian Institute of Scientific Education and Research (IISER), these institutions were supposed to do for scientific education and research what the IITs have done for engineering. IISERs have come up in Pune, Kolkata and Mohali, and have started functioning in makeshift buildings, just like the IITs did decades ago. The IITs themselves and the Indian Institute of Science have also not faced any serious crises. On the other hand, they are creating entrepreneurs and moving closer to the industry.

The department of science and technology is now working hard to bring back intelligent students to science. In an unprecedented move, it is planning the introduction of 200,000 scholarships to school children. These scholarships will continue, in decreasing numbers, right up to PhD, and students will be offered assured career till they are 35. It could take a decade before we see the effects of this measure. Meanwhile, scientists will continue to gravitate from the public sector to the private sector. We will have to wait and see whether the public sector decays completely. We could even have a disastrous situation if the country does not have competent scientists to run its strategic programmes.