New Delhi, April 2: The Department of Science and Technology (DST) clarifies that recent media reports suggesting a contradiction in responses given in Parliament regarding the first state to implement a science policy are misleading. The two questions asked in 2022 and 2025 were different in scope and intent, and the answers provided were in accordance with the specific queries posed.
In response to a Parliamentary Question on July 21, 2022, which sought to determine whether any State Government had ever initiated a science policy since independence, DST cited Gujarat’s Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Policy of 2018 as an example. The answer was factual and aligned with the query, which did not ask for a chronological first but rather if any state had initiated such a policy.
In contrast, the Parliamentary Question answered on March 13, 2025, explicitly sought information on all states that have implemented a science policy, as well as the first state to do so post-independence. In response, DST provided a comprehensive list of states with their respective policy implementation years—Kerala (1974 & 2002), Gujarat (2018), Himachal Pradesh (2021), and Madhya Pradesh (2022). Kerala was specifically mentioned as the first state to have implemented a science policy in 1974, which directly answered the question posed.
DST emphasizes that there is no contradiction in the responses. The difference in the information provided arises from the distinct nature of the questions asked. The department remains committed to transparency and accuracy in all its parliamentary responses and upholds the highest standards of accountability in disseminating information.
