All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) is a national network of Peoples Science Movements of India. It was established in the first All India Peoples Science Congress, organised in 1988 at
Kannur
Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a Cities in India, city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city a ...
in Kerala State. The attempt to establish a national platform for science organisations in India started in the late 1960s. By that time, there were Science organisations in
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...
, Assam, Orissa,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...
and
Maharashtra. In many other states, there were committed scientists who were interested to work with people for a social cause.
The first common platform of scientists was organised by working scientists of BARC in Mumbai. It was named the Federation of Indian Literary Scientists Association. They supported different groups of scientists in different language speaking states with science writings in the vernacular. In 1973 and 1978, regional conferences of scientists were organised in Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram. As a result, organisations were formed in few other states also. By the 1970s, there was
Assam Science Society in Assam,
Bangeeya Vigyan Parishad in West Bengal,
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) (meaning: ''Kerala Science Literature Movement'') is a progressive outfit in the state of Kerala, India. It was conceived as a people's science movement. At the time of its founding in 1962 it was a 40-member ...
in Kerala and
Karnataka Rajya Vijnan Parishad
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
in
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
. The
Bhopal Gas Tragedy
The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a chemical accident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Considered the world's ...
of 1984 created a situation for these groups to work together against abuse of science and technology and lot of such activities were organised. In 1987, five national kala jathas were organised in the name
Bharat Jan Vijnana Jatha
Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to:
* Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages
** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent (or South Asia)
* Bharata, the name of several legendary figures or groups:
** Bhar ...
which culminated in Bhopal. Following this, organisations sprouted in various states which created a conducive atmosphere for the establishment of the All India Peoples Science Network.
When All India Peoples Science Network was established in February 1988, there were 28 member organisations and presently, it has 35 members. It functions as a common platform for interaction on
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...
and
technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scie ...
issues and learning. It organises All
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
Peoples Sciences Congress every two years to discuss various experiences in science and technology. The organisational conference of the network is held along with the congress.
Members
Major activities
1) Science Communication and Publication
2) Health
3) Education
4) Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development
5) Agriculture
6) Rural Technology
7) Decentralization
8) Samata
9) Cultural Communication
See also
*
Children's Indradanush
Children's Indradanush is a children's publication run by activists of All India People's Science Network (AIPSN). The meaning of the title is "Rainbow".
It is mainly supported by Himachal Gyan Vigyan Samiti, a member of AIPSN. This magazine has ...
References
External links
"Secularism and People's Science Movement in India"an
"Towards a People's Science Movement"from ''
Economic and Political Weekly
The ''Economic and Political Weekly'' (''EPW'') is a weekly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all social sciences, and is published by the Sameeksha Trust. In January 2018, academic Gopal Guru was named the new Editor of the journal. Guru wil ...
''
"People's Science Movement"from ''Science, technology, imperialism, and war''
"The People's Science Movements"from ''Knowing Nature''
{{Authority control
Scientific organisations based in India
Social movements in India