Modi’s return as India’s leader has scientists worried about persistent problems

Narendra Modi was sworn in as India’s prime minister for the third time on 9 June after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was forced to form a coalition government with two other political parties. The election result has many scientists worried that creeping authoritarianism under Modi will mean long-standing problems in research, such as meagre and delayed funding, political interference in appointments and corruption, will not be addressed.

The BJP manifesto included a number of nods to science including a plan to turn India into a leading space power, get the new the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) funding agency up and running , position India as a global leader in AI and strengthen programmes investigating graphene. In contrast, the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, did not devote any space to science and technology, but did include mention of the environment, climate change and disaster management in its manifesto.