India Announces Major Reforms for Ease of Innovation, Research, and Science

Current Context: Dr. Jitendra Singh announced major policy reforms on June 15, 2025, aimed at enhancing the Ease of Innovation, Ease of Research, and Ease of Science in India.

These reforms focus on reducing bureaucratic hurdles and empowering research institutions.

Key Highlights

Procurement Reforms: Directors of scientific institutions and Vice Chancellors can now bypass GeM (Government e-Marketplace) for specialized research equipment.

Financial Thresholds Increased:

Direct purchase limit raised from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh.
Departmental committee purchases increased from ₹1-10 lakh to ₹2-25 lakh.
Limited tender and advertised tender limits doubled from ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore.
Global Tender Enquiries (GTEs) up to ₹200 crore can now be approved by institutional heads.

Streamlining Research Processes: The reforms aim to reduce delays and increase autonomy for scientists and scholars.

Question:

Q.1 What is the new financial threshold for direct purchases by scientific institutions under the recent reforms?
a) ₹50,000
b) ₹1 lakh
c) ₹2 lakh
d) ₹5 lakh

Answer: c) The earlier limit for direct purchases was ₹1 lakh, which has now been doubled to ₹2 lakh to reduce bureaucratic delays.