Thu Aug 14 18:45:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing and rewriting the provided text:

**India’s Progress Marred by Lagging Scientific Temper: Report**

**New Delhi – August 15, 2025** – While India has made remarkable strides in science and technology since its independence, a new report highlights a persistent gap between technological adoption and the widespread embrace of a “scientific temper” within its society.

Despite early leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru prioritizing rational thinking and inquiry, and enshrining it as a fundamental duty in the constitution, irrational attitudes, superstition, and pseudoscience continue to permeate mainstream culture.

“Indians readily embrace new technologies, but scientific temper remains confined to a few pockets,” the report stated. The coexistence of cutting-edge advancements and deeply entrenched traditional beliefs poses a challenge to India’s progress. Examples include government officials promoting unscientific remedies, and the spread of misinformation regarding health and history being amplified on social media.

Although India has invested in science education and the founding of IITs and ISRO, the quality of science education remains inconsistent, and the gap between rote-based learning and critical inquiry remains.

The report calls for a revamp of science education to emphasize critical thinking, strengthening public outreach to increase public understanding of science, and government policies to be guided by evidence-based policymaking in healthcare, climate action, and social justice.

“Bridging the gap between technological advances and internalised scientific temper demands both institutional action and collective cultural transformation,” the report concludes. Without a widespread embrace of evidence-based reasoning and the courage to question received wisdom, India’s potential remains partially untapped.

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