Parliament on tuesday passed a bill that would enable the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to start an academy to award post-graduate and doctoral degrees after making certain amendments.

The Lok Sabha agreed to the amendments made by the Rajya Sabha last week to the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) Bill, 2011, which makes it clear that the Academy would not invoke central laws to deny reservation to SC/ST students.

Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh moved the amendments made by the Rajya Sabha for consideration of the Lok Sabha, which were agreed to after a brief discussion.

Ganesh Dudhgaonkar (Shiv Sena), Hukumdeo Narain Yadav (BJP) and Shailendra Kumar (SP) raised some points on the Bill which were replied to by Deshmukh.

The Bill proposes to establish an Academy for furtherance of advancement of learning and prosecution of research in the field of science and technology in association with CSIR and to declare the institution known as the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, to be an institution of national importance.

At present, scientists pursuing research in any of the 37 laboratories of CSIR across the country have to register themselves at different universities.

The main purpose of setting up such an academy of national importance is to stop brain drain and help scientific research within the country.

The amendment makes it clear that Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, shall not be applicable to this Academy.