Parliament Question: Framework for GSDP investment operationalisation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2699 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2026 FRAMEWORK FOR GSDP INVESTMENT OPERATIONALISATION 2699 SHRI IRANNA KADADI: Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state: (a) the national-level framework issued by NITI Aayog to guide States in operationalising the proposed 0.5 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) investment in Science and Technology Councils; (b) the uniform outcome benchmarks finalised for assessing innovation-led development across States and sectors; (c) the methodology adopted to evaluate the fund absorption capacity of councils and their alignment with localised innovation priorities; and (d) the key insights emerging from consolidated inter-State consultations regarding fiscal sustainability, implementation challenges and projected return on investment in the science and technology ecosystem? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE (RAO INDERJIT SINGH) (a) NITI Aayog has not designed any framework to guide States in operationalizing 0.5 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) investment in Science and Technology Councils. (b) The Department of Science and Technology, under its State Science and Technology Programme (SSTP) strengthen the Centre-State S&T cooperation through budgetary support to Page 1 of 2S&T Secretariat of State/Union Territory (UT) Science & Technology Councils to catalyse the Science Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem at their State/UT level through the systemic interventions. As per the Output Outcome Monitoring Framework (OOMF), the outcome indicators of SSTP during FY 2025-26, include the number of patents filed, technologies demonstrated and research publications. (c) The activities of the S&T Councils are reviewed by the Department of Science and Technology during the Annual Meetings, wherein the deliverables related to STI activities of the Councils, aligned with state-specific and regional needs are monitored. (d) NITI Aayog has released a report titled “A Roadmap for Strengthening State S&T Councils” which focuses on identifying key challenges and outlining measures for strengthening the functioning of State Science and Technology (S&T) Councils across the country. The report can be accessed at: https://niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-07/A-Roadmap-for-Strengthening- State-ST-Council.pdf ***** Page 2 of 2