Innovations in Attracting the Young to the Pursuit of Science

The last few decades have seen a drop in the percentage enrolment of the brightest young minds in the basic science streams. Besides the traditional professional fields like engineering and medicine, the emerging fields of business management and information technology captivated the imagination of career-oriented bright youngsters. Though there have been quite a few local initiatives in basic sciences, at the national level, 'catching them young' remained a catch phrase till the formulation of the INSPIRE programme of the DST and its beginnings in the 11th plan. This article is a report on the various components of the programme, their strengths and limitations as well as the opportunities that have opened up not only for the stakeholders in the programme, but also for Indian society at large.