Late Shri Manohar Parrikar who served as Chief Minister of Goa and Defense Minister of India believed that the country, particularly its youth, should pursue excellence in science and technology. As a reminder of this ideal, the State of Goa celebrates his birth anniversary (13th December) as “Manohar Parrikar Vidnyan Mahotsav” with lectures and exhibits by eminent scientists and technologists. During the Mahotsav in 2022, Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, announced institution of an annual award, Manohar Parrikar Yuva Scientist Award, for a young scientist with proven excellence, and promise of performance in future. The award, which will be handed out for the first time on 13 December 2023, carries a cash prize of five lakh rupees and a citation.
The Department of Science, Technology and Waste Management, State of Goa, invites applications for this year’s award from Indian scientists/ technologist below the age of 35 (as on 31 December 2022). The applications will be evaluated by an Expert Committee headed by Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission. The shortlisted candidates will be invited for a presentation before the committee. The candidates shall be judged on: (1) Impact of work done so far, as judged from research publications in high-impact journals, patents, and other measures. (2) A viable action plan for the future which may include research or application of the research for the benefit of India. The decision of the Expert Committee shall be final. Only one candidate shall be selected for the award each year.
