I would like to propose that we in India create a non-government, non-profit association of Indian scientists which can enable us to come together to work for the benefit of the society at large in a manner consistent with the standards we set ourselves in our professional work.

For a start I would like to suggest that we create a website, which would give unbiased accurate and frequently updated information on scientific issues which are of immediate concern to the society. This can be in medicine, gene technology, environment, energy, and a variety of other subjects. I have in mind particularly topics which are very important in the Indian context. Just to mention one example, consider the problem of drinking water which is quite acute in many parts of India for a variety of reasons; in some regions of the country there is an excess of fluorides in the groundwater, yet in some other regions arsenic compounds pose a danger and in a number of places, tannery effluents are a grave threat. It is necessary for us to make available to the public at large, the data as accurately as possible and state-of-the-art scientific solutions that are known.

I believe that it would be quite inexpensive to maintain a website by the proposed NGO and the modest financial resources that are needed would be forthcoming. What is crucial is the need for a band of committed scientists who will create this information base, and maintain it. We can start with a small number of scientific issues which we think are immediately relevant in our context. A specific area can be entrusted to a small number of people who will also take the responsibility to respond to queries from scientists, educationists, social organizations, etc. I am of the

view that the proposed NGO should simply operate out of a single room in a city like Bangalore and can be supported by scientists throughout the country mostly by the electronic medium.

The membership should be open to all concerned citizens of India. Even as I write these lines, a news item has appeared that this year in Rajasthan due to further drop in the water table, drinking water has dissolved salts far in excess of permissible health limits. While it is certainly true that there are Indian scientists who understand these problems and even have answers, their expertise is perhaps either unutilized or under-utilized.

I am grateful to receive your criticisms and suggestions. I can be reached by Tel: (res) 080-331 6296 (off) 080-
309 2396; fax: 080-334 1683; e-mail: jpcts@cts.iisc.ernet.in

 J. PASUPATHY

Centre for Theoretical Studies,

Indian Institute of Science,

Bangalore 560 012, India