Policy Update
Devshi Satish Mishra
Background
The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) is a government body established in 1982 under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) as a result of the science communication plan introduced in the Sixth Five-Year Plan of India, with plans and programmes implemented in full force from the Seventh Five-Year Plan. It is mandated with the responsibility to communicate Science and Technology to the masses, stimulate scientific and technological rigour, and coordinate and orchestrate such efforts throughout the country.
The primary objective of NCSTS is to enhance capacity for informed decision-making and foster scientific thinking within the community, while also prioritising marginalised sections of society through the dissemination of scientific knowledge and the development of targeted programmes in an informed manner, ensuring that benefits and opportunities reach every corner of society.
Source: Vikaspedia
Functioning
The NCTSC focuses on outreach activities and programmes with a special component exclusively for women. It has ten major elements, viz., (i) training in science and technology communication, (ii) software development, (iii) information networks/ databases, (iv) field projects, (v) incentive schemes, (vi) research in science and technology communication, (vii) international cooperation, (viii) women component plan, (ix) environmental awareness, and (x) policy advices.
The NCSTC operates through a decentralised and collaborative framework, working in partnership with state S&T councils, universities, NGOs, media organisations, and community-based institutions. This ensures that science communication initiatives reach beyond urban centres and penetrate rural and semi-urban areas.
A significant part of its functioning lies in the integration of traditional and modern methods. The council promotes the use of folk media, street plays, puppetry, and local art forms to contextualise science within cultural narratives, while simultaneously investing in films, radio programmes, and digital campaigns. This dual strategy allows scientific ideas to be more relatable, accessible, and widely accepted.
Another crucial component is capacity building. NCSTC conducts structured training programmes for science communicators, educators, journalists, and grassroots volunteers by also allowing them to submit their papers. These initiatives build a network of skilled communicators capable of simplifying complex scientific concepts and connecting them with everyday life. The establishment of resource centres and the production of educational software also form part of this effort.
NCSTC also plays a vital role in policy and international cooperation. It aligns India’s science communication efforts with global practices through collaboration with bodies like UNESCO (example: UNESCO Kalinga Prize) and participation in OECD’s science communication frameworks.
Importantly, the council embeds equity and inclusivity in its operations. Special schemes are designed for women, children, and marginalised groups, making sure that science communication addresses not just knowledge gaps but also social divides. Campaigns like “Explaining Science behind Miracles” actively counter misinformation and pseudoscience, promoting rational and evidence-based thinking.
Through this multi-layered operational model – combining outreach, training, campaign coordination, and policy engagement – the NCSTC has institutionalised science communication as a core element of India’s S&T ecosystem.
| Important Campaigns | Important Initiatives |
| Year of Scientific AwarenessYear of PhysicsYear of AstronomyYear of MathematicsObservation of National Science DayObservation of National Mathematics DayScience Express | Mission EnlightenMission eco NEXT – Initiatives Science Express Climate Action Special National Children’s Science CongressNational Teachers’ Science CongressInitiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS)Health and Nutrition through Community RadioAcademic/Training courses in S&T CommunicationScience and Technology Communication Programmes for StudentsExplaining Science behind Miracles |
Performance and Impact
Over the past four decades, NCSTC has emerged as the principal institution for institutionalising science communication in India. Its performance can be assessed through its flagship campaigns, outreach programmes, and recognition mechanisms. One of the most notable contributions of this council has been the establishment of National Science Day, observed annually on February 28th. Activities such as lectures, quizzes, radio and television shows, open houses, and debates are organised around a central theme. These programmes are organised nationwide through the state S&T Councils and Science and Technology Departments.
| Performance | Impact | |
| Audio/Radio Programmes | Science-based radio serials on various topics are produced and broadcast by 119 stations of All India Radio (AIR) and through community radio. Some of the popular serials are: “Jeevan Ek-Roop Anek”, Rahiye matwaley, “Ankon ke Khiladi”, Radio Mathematics (on community radio) | Mass outreach through radio, television, and community programmes has enabled scientific information to penetrate rural and semi-urban populations. |
| Video Programmes | NCSTC has sponsored and telecast science-based video programmes on Doordarshan, including Challenge Chatani, Utthan, Ignited Minds I-II, Hum Honge Kamyab, and Fossil Memoirs. Video CDs highlighting achievements of S&T in India were also developed and disseminated to complement broadcast programmes. | Video programmes have made science and scientific thinking visually appealing, increasing interest and knowledge in the same. |
| Web-based programmes | Interactive web portals have been created to widen access to scientific content. Portals on Mathematics and Planet Earth are among the most prominent. A notable example at the state level is the Ganit Yatra campaign in the tribal districts of Maharashtra, supported by NCSTC, which included dramas, CDs, Ganit Geet (mathematics songs), booklets, and calendars to promote mathematics education. | Since the accessibility to the Internet has increased significantly in India, web-based portals allow gaining science-related knowledge more conveniently and accessibly. |
| Training Manuals and Kits | NCSTC has developed a wide array of resource materials and kits for use in classrooms and outreach programmes. These include the Mathematics Kit, Weather Kit, LASER Kit, Astronomy Kit, Biodiversity Kit, and modules on microorganisms and vermi-composting. Such tools have been disseminated to schools and student groups across the country, providing hands-on learning opportunities. | Hands-on learning tools like the Mathematics and Astronomy kits have transformed classroom teaching, making learning interactive and inquiry-driven. Teachers reported higher student engagement when using these resources, and such kits have been instrumental in sparking curiosity at the school level (specifically under NCSC). |
| Flagship Campaigns | Large-scale initiatives like the National Children’s Science Congress, National Teachers’ Science Congress, Science Express Climate Action Special, and the observation of National Science Day have become hallmarks of NCSTC’s performance. | NCSTC’s flagship programmes have had strong participatory outcomes. The National Children’s Science Congress alone has engaged over a million students in project-based learning, fostering early research skills and critical thinking. Similarly, the National Teachers’ Science Congress has improved pedagogical exchange among educators, leading to innovation in teaching practices. |
| Public campaigns against superstition and pseudoscience | The ‘Explaining Science Behind Miracles’ is a training module aiming at providing basic skills in performing & investigating such miracles and is based on the science behind it. It is meant to decode stereotypes and taboos happening under the name of ‘miracle’, when it would actually be basic science. | In areas affected by myths and taboos, these programmes have the potential to slowly but steadily shift attitudes toward evidence-based understanding, though with varied success across regions. |
Emerging Issues
Even though the NCSTC network was established to make science and scientific thinking accessible to the common man, engaging in science is still too technical for people to understand, owing to accessibility issues. Under this council, a nationwide project to compile information on science communication software, hardware, and agencies to facilitate further networking has only helped in data assimilation and not the popularisation of science. Simply, the formation of networks of organisations and data assimilation alone is not sufficient. The need is to develop an implicit and efficient mechanism to ensure effective science engagement and communication in a more cohesive manner, which is currently lacking.
Moreover, illiteracy has decreased in India, but has not reached the desired level yet, and people are still ignorant about common scientific principles of day-to-day life. Superstitions and taboos still prevail over common sense and basic scientific knowledge. Hence, there are three core issues to be tackled: Ignorance, Illiteracy, and Accessibility.
Communication in many languages is yet another great challenge. The quality of scientific translation has not achieved the level of excellence in most instances. This is mainly due to a lack of equal command and training in multiple languages, as well as the unavailability of appropriate terms. The science writing is still technical for people to understand, and interesting styles of writing, like fiction, poetry, satires, skits, discussions, etc., have not found adequate space and time in the media. Even most of the science writers could not contribute sufficiently interesting science material to the newspapers/ magazines. The merely occasional appearance of something in the name of science fiction cannot serve the purpose.
Way Forward
An exhaustive framework for science communication must be reframed with maximum participation of the public to improve science literacy and science engagement in the public. India has been able to take initiatives in several newer programmes in the area of science
communication, which were not tried out elsewhere and can take the lead in these innovative areas. NCSTC, in particular, has the potential to improve its efficacy in making science and scientific thinking an integral part of the social fabric by adopting certain strategic measures.
- Strengthening community-based science communication. Greater use of folk media, local dialects, and grassroots platforms can bridge gaps between scientific discourse and public understanding.
- Prioritising multi-lingual and culturally sensitive communication, which requires systematic efforts in developing accurate scientific terminology in Indian languages, training communicators in translation, and supporting creative formats such as fiction, satire, theatre, and poetry to make science communication engaging rather than mechanical.
- Digital integration with inclusivity
- NCSTC must embed impact evaluation mechanisms into its programmes. Assessments should focus on outcomes such as changes in attitudes, reduction in superstition, or enhancement of scientific literacy levels. Independent evaluations and academic collaborations can strengthen accountability and learning.
References
EC-OECD STIP compass. (n.d.). https://stip.oecd.org/stip/interactive-dashboards/policy-initiatives/2025%2Fdata%2FpolicyInitiatives%2F200002919
Govindarajan, S. (n.d.). National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC). https://education.vikaspedia.in/viewcontent/education/resource-links/scientific-and-educational-institutions/national-council-for-science-technology-communication-ncstc?lgn=en
Kaur, A. (2023). GMOs Science Communication in India: The Broken Link between the Scientist and the Society. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 11(05), 221–235. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2023.115016
National Children’s Science Congress: NCSC. (n.d.). https://www.ncsc.co.in/ncstc_dst_goi
National Council for Science & Technology Communication. (2021). General Information & Format for submission of proposals in NCSTC. In National Council for Science & Technology Communication. Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. https://dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/Guidelines_NCSTC_revised.pdf
National Council for Science & Technology Communication NCSTC | Department of Science & Technology. (n.d.). https://dst.gov.in/scientific-programmes/st-and-socio-economic-development/national-council-science-technology-communication-ncstc
Patairiya, M. K. & Broadcasting Corporation of India. (2016). Science Communication in India: an assessment. International Journal of Deliberative Mechanisms in Science, 4–4(1), 22–64. https://doi.org/10.17583/demesci.2016.2182
The National Council for Science & Technology Communications invites nominations for National Awards for Science & Technology Communication for 2020. (n.d.). https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1662048
About the Contributor
Devshi Satish Mishra is a Research Intern at IMPRI and a student at the University of Delhi pursuing Economics Honours.
Acknowledgement
The author sincerely thanks Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja and other IMPRI fellows for their valuable contribution.
Disclaimer
All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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