The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has addressed claims of inconsistency in its responses to parliamentary questions regarding state-level science policies.
The department clarified that its answers in 2022 and 2025 corresponded accurately to distinct questions posed, effectively putting to rest allegations of contradiction.
In July 2022, DST cited Gujarat’s 2018 Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy in response to a question asking whether any state had initiated a science policy since independence. This response, aligned with the query’s scope, didn’t necessitate mentioning the chronological first.
However, in March 2025, DST detailed Kerala as the first state to implement a science policy in 1974, responding to a specific request for all states with such policies and identifying the first state post-independence.
DST emphasized that both responses were truthful, tailored to the queries, and upheld its commitment to transparency and accountability in parliamentary disclosures.
