On 107thIndian Science Congress (ISC), set to commence in Bengaluru, organisers said they had taken “special care” to ensure that ‘pseudo-scientific’ articles or talks did not creep in. At last year’s ISC at Lovely University, Jalandhar, G. Nageswara Rao, at the time vice-chancellor of Andhra University, asserted that the Kauravas of the Mahabharata had been born of ‘stem-cell’ technology and test-tube baby science and that Rama and Ravana had fought with ‘guided missiles.’ While pseudo-scientific remarks at the congress aren’t unprecedented — in 2015, at the event in Mumbai, there was an entire session dedicated to ‘aircraft from the Vedic age’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to inaugurate the congress, which is scheduled to take place between January 3-7, at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Bengaluru. The theme for the congress this year is ‘science and technology: rural development’ and to emphasise it, the function — which draws school students, college science students and young scholars in droves — will include a Farmer’s Science Congress, providing a platform for innovative farmers.
Bengaluru to host Science Congress
Bengaluru is all set to host the 107thedition of the Indian Science Congress. It will be the ninth time the city hosts the annual convention. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru. Coming in the time of agrarian distress, the congress has chosen ‘science and technology: rural development’ as its theme. For the first time, a Farmer’s Science Congress will be part of it, providing a platform for innovative farmers. The convention will see the participation of over 15,000 delegates, including 8,000 students from across the country and 74 scientists from abroad.
