Post-budget 2018 Reaction Dr. P. Venkat Rangan, Vice Chancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore

The staggering outlay of Rs 100,000 crores to give a fillip to research excellence in premier educational institutes through the new RISE initiative is a very welcome step. India is currently spending less than 1% of its GDP on research. RISE will go a long way in boosting innovation for flagship programs of the Govt. like Make in India and Digital India. The Government’s stated focus on enhancing the quality of education through technology and improving the quality of teachers is also welcome. The ‘Prime Minister’s Research Fellows’ scheme to provide scholarships to 1,000 B.Tech students will help meritorious candidates excel in higher education. We hope all these initiatives will be extended fully to private deemed-to-be universities with a proven track record and contribution in terms of research excellence, innovation and societal engagement, to set up centers of excellence in cutting-edge inter-disciplinary areas.