Vision of PSA entails helping enable and empower all spheres of science for effective execution of programmes for the society and the economy

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (PSA’s Office) was set-up, primarily, to evolve polices, strategies and missions for the generation of innovations and support systems for multiple applications; generate science and technology tasks in critical infrastructure, economic and social sectors in partnership with Government departments, institutions and industry; and function as the Secretariat to the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, with the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India as its Chairman.

The vision of establishing the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) is to facilitate, enable and empower all spheres of science, technology and innovation towards effective execution of programmes meant for the enhancement of the society and betterment for the economy. To translate the vision of into strategy and action, the Prime Minister has constituted the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM’s STIAC). The PSA is Chair of the PM’s STIAC.

The terms of reference for Office of the PSA are extensive and demanding. These are listed below:

• Synergizing S&T covering fundamental to applied research in collaboration with multiple stake holders both in central and state governments
• Enabling future preparedness in emerging domains of science and technology
• Formulating and coordinating major inter-ministerial S&T missions
• Providing an enabling ecosystem for technology led innovations and techno-entrepreneurship
• Driving innovation and technology delivery towards solving socio-economic challenges for sustainable growth
• Fostering effective public-private linkages for driving research and innovation
• Developing innovation clusters with multiple stakeholders including academia, industry and government
• Skilling in current and futuristic technologies

The PM-STIAC is an overarching Council that facilitates the PSA’s Office to assess the status in specific science and technology domains, comprehend challenges in hand, formulate specific interventions, develop a futuristic roadmap and advise the Prime Minister accordingly. PSA’s Office also oversees the implementation of such interventions by concerned S&T Departments and Agencies and other government Ministries. The other important terms of reference of the Council is to formulate, converge, collaborate, co-ordinate and implement multi-stakeholder policy initiatives, mechanisms, reforms and programmes. The PSA’s Office has promoted cross-sectoral synergy projects in various science and technology domains. These include policy interventions, small but catalytic support to R&D projects that do not fall into the business domain of any single department and specifically in areas in which there are significant gaps that needs to be addressed.