C.N.R. Rao, eminent scientist and head of the Scientific Advisory
Council to the Prime Minister of India, has said that former ISRO
Chairman G. Madhavan Nair’s disparaging remarks on the Mars Mission are
“unbecoming” of him.
Prof. Nair had dubbed the Rs 450 crore Mars Mission venture as a
“publicity stunt” and said that ISRO was embarking on an extravagant
mission. He had argued that India faced an acute shortage of
communication transporters and that issue should have been addressed on
priority by following the K. Kasturirangan Committee recommendation.
Reacting to a question on this here on Friday, Prof. Rao said that Rs.
450 crore spent on the mission is “like peanuts” when compared to the
other budgetary allocations. “Compared to countries like Japan or China,
we do not spend enough on science,” he said, adding that more needs to
be spent on science.
Commenting on the Mars Mission, Prof. Rao said: “They could have taken
more time and done more. But that is another argument. We have to
appreciate what they have done now.”
Prof. Rao said that the scientific community will have to “wait with
fingers crossed” till next September when the PSLV-C25 reaches Mars.
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