SRIMAN Policy - Is it Good ideas or Bad Calculation?

In field of Science and Technology only 6% equipment are manufactured within country. Rest all are imported on very heavy expenses. Many of these equipment are used once and then kept aside after project is over. Since the maintenance of these equipment are very expensive therefore, these are hardly maintained and remain just unused till their death. This practice is running since longer time and no one paid any attention towards this. Now Govt of India has brought as policy to get rid of this expense and utilize the equipment in proper way.  India has made significant achievements in the scientific field since its Independence but much more is possible. For example, limited use of expensive RI. It leads to inefficient use of public expenditure which a country like India can ill afford. 

Just focusing on prefect procurement of these equipment are not enough. But there must be practices which helps to make such equipment available in vicinity at very affordable price and without loosing any money with ill planning. To over come previous situation and give wings to new system, Govt of India introduced a policy called SRIMAN ( Scientific Research Infrastructure Management and Networks) . The main features of this policy are

1. To address various issues for effective utilization of its research infrastructure. 
2. Procurement and maintenance of equipment and infrastructure for research 
3. Providing access and sharing of scientific equipment and infrastructure 
4. Disposal of scientific equipment and infrastructure 
5. Capacity Building of operators and technicians for efficient operations 
6. Monitoring of usage of expensive scientific research infrastructure•
7. Infrastructure Management for efficient operations 
8. To promote creation of a regional ecosystem, by galvanizing relevant stakeholders of scientific research infrastructure that provides wider access to scientists, researchers and industry professionals across the country. 
9. This will also help in creating a pool of trained operators for operation and maintenance of the equipment.
10. Scientific research is kept out of its ambit.
11. It will be created at Regional Level.
12. A force of skilled manpower will be created and it will act like pool.
13. Knowledge Sharing will be imminent part of this policy.
14. Sharing of equipment through a online portal. Which will show availability and location of equipment
15. One equipmennt can be used at multiple location with proper management
16. import will be reduced drastically.

Objective 

1. Facilitate the Simplified but smarter ways of procurement and maintenance of scientific equipment and infrastructure. 
2. Providing greater access to instruments funded by the Government of India and its agencies through a network all over the country. 
3. Providing a framework for smarter ways of disposal of dated equipment and infrastructure 
4. Providing a framework to improve and promote efficiency of operations of research infrastructure 
5. A broad template to monitor utilization of expensive research infrastructure. 

Scope 

1. All scientific departments and agencies of the Government of India and grantee agencies 
2. All Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and its agencies and organizations that support development of scientific research infrastructure. 

Benefits 

1. Maximizing use by providing equity of access. 
2. Ready access to government funded scientific research infrastructure will enable more extensive and optimal use of a valuable public resource for the benefit of the community. 
3. By facilitating sharing of scientific research infrastructure and broadly monitoring utilization, duplicate purchasing of expensive scientific equipment will be avoided resulting in significant cost savings in research. 
4. This will also facilitate a mechanism to monitor the creation and maintenance of research infrastructure. 
5. Sharing of expensive public funded scientific research infrastructure will improve the efficiency of the public expenditure 
6. Help reduce brain drain. 
7. This will provide enhanced access to scientific research infrastructure to scientists, researchers and industry professionals. 

INDEED THIS IS EXCELLENT STEP TAKEN BY GOVT OF INDIA. OFF LATE THAN NEVER. HATS OFF TO MODI GOVT FOR BRILLIANT THINKING AND STRATEGY. EXECUTION HAS TO BE REALLY CONTROLLED.