Scientists, activists urge govt to halt E20 rollout, enact anti-black magic law

Mumbai, A collective of prominent scientists, academicians, and activists has urged the government to halt the E20 fuel rollout, scrap the National Testing Agency, and enact a nationwide anti-black magic law, calling for public policies to be guided by scientific evidence.

Issuing a joint appeal during the India March for Science in Mumbai on Saturday, the signatories raised strong objections over the promotion of pseudoscience, evidence-denying public policies, and shrinking public investment in education and research.

The appeal was signed by scientists and activists, including Padma Bhushan awardee Prof M S Raghunathan of CEBS, Mumbai; SSB awardee Prof S G Dani, president of Breakthrough Science Society; Prof. Aniket Sule, HBCSE-TIFR; Prof B M Arora, University of Mumbai and former TIFR; Dr N Krishnan, former TIFR; and Anil Kumar Singh, secretary, Mumbai Press Club.

The India March for Science movement originated from the global 2017 demonstrations across nearly 600 cities, with Indian chapters holding annual rallies nationwide to advocate for evidence-based policymaking and higher research funding.

Demanding an immediate suspension of the E20 fuel policy, the group highlighted the lack of a comprehensive lifecycle environmental assessment and supporting infrastructure, while warning that diverting water-intensive food crops for biofuel production threatens food security and depletes groundwater reserves.

The Opposition parties, especially the Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiv Sena , have also been critical of the government's E20 fuel policy.

The appeal also called for scrapping the National Testing Agency and overhauling the examination framework, citing recent question-paper leaks and the nationwide NEET protests.

Linking policy choices to the broader climate crisis, the scientists voiced concern over extreme weather events, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, ecosystem collapse and accelerating species extinction.

It also cited deforestation, groundwater depletion and pollution of rivers and water bodies, alleging that environmental and forest protection laws were being diluted in the name of development.

The collective demanded allocating at least 10 per cent of the Union budget and 30 per cent of state budgets to education, along with elevating overall research spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP from its current level of under 0.7 per cent.

Invoking Article 51A of the Constitution regarding the duty to foster scientific temper, the appeal opposed the promotion of superstition, and urged the enactment of a stringent central anti-black-magic law to combat witch-hunting and fraudulent faith-healing practices.

Under the slogan "Adopt Science, Secure the Future", the organisers urged scientists, educators, students and citizens to embrace the scientific method and logical reasoning to help secure India's collective future.

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