#70 Years of Self Independence

Happy 71st Independence Day 

Science & Technology In INDIA

15th August, 1947, the day is etched in the minds and hearts of all Indians. India gained freedom after years of struggle against the British Rule. On this special occasion, rich tributes are paid to the freedom fighters like Gandhi Ji, Nehru Ji, Tilak Ji, Bhagat Singh Ji amongst others, who fought selflessly for the freedom of our country, sacrificed their lives to free their motherland from the clutches of the oppressors – The British Rulers. 

Roots Of Technology In India

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India (office: 15 August 1947 – 27 May 1964), initiated reforms to promote higher education, science, and technology in India. The Indian Institutes of Technology – conceived by a 22-member committee of scholars and entrepreneurs in order to promote technical education – was inaugurated on 18 August 1951 at Kharagpur in West Bengal by the minister of education Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. More IITs were soon opened in Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi as well in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Beginning in the 1960s, close ties with the Soviet Union enabled the Indian Space Research Organisation to rapidly develop the Indian space program and advance nuclear power in India even after the first nuclear test explosion by India on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran.

India Today

Today India ranks third among the most attractive investment destinations for technology transactions in the world. **Modern India has had a strong focus on science and technology, realizing that it is a key element of economic growth. India is among the topmost countries in the world in the field of scientific research, positioned as one of the top five nations in the field of space exploration. The country has regularly undertaken space missions, including missions to the moon and the famed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

Currently*, 27 satellites including 11 that facilitate the communication network to the country are operational, establishing India’s progress in the space technology domain. India is likely to take a leading role in launching satellites for the SAARC nations, generating revenue by offering its space facilities for use to other countries.

India ranks second in terms of contribution to high-quality scientific research^. It is among the world’s top 10 nations in the number of scientific publications. Position-wise, it is ranked 17th in the number of citations received and 34th in the number of citations per paper across the field of science and technology (among nations publishing 50,000 or more papers). The country is ranked ninth globally in the number of scientific publications and 12th in the number of patents filed.

India has been ranked as the top exporter of information and communication technology (ICT) services and second in innovation quality in 2017^^. The country has moved up six places to 60th position in the Global Innovation Index (GII).

With support from the government, considerable investment and development has incurred in different sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, space research, and nuclear power through scientific research. For instance, India is gradually becoming self-reliant in nuclear technology. Recently, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit-1 (KKNPP 1) with 1,000 MW capacity was commissioned, while the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit-2 (KKNPP-2) with 1,000 MW capacity is under commissioning.

Recent developments

Some of the recent developments in the field of science and technology in India are as follows:

• India's space business to witness tremendous growth in the next five years, on the back of technology advancement, global space business opportunity and a sharp rise in Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) satellite launch capability.
• ISRO's lunar dust mining plan focuses on generating and transporting energy to the Earth from Helium-3 rich lunar dust from the Moon, as part of its 2030 goal of meeting India's energy needs.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch 2 satellites in March and April 2017, which includes the satellite meant for the benefit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations. ISRO also targets launch of second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 in first quarter of 2018.
• ISRO has launched a record high of 104 satellites in one go on a single rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• ISRO has successfully placed remote sensing satellite RESOURCESAT-2A in orbit, to provide continuity to ISRO's three tier imaging data, which will be extremely useful for agricultural applications. 

The Road Ahead

India is aggressively working towards establishing itself as a leader in industrialization and technological development. Significant developments in the nuclear energy sector are likely as India looks to expand its nuclear capacity. Moreover, nanotechnology is expected to transform the Indian pharmaceutical industry. The agriculture sector is also likely to undergo a major revamp, with the government investing heavily for the technology-driven Green Revolution. Also, several automobile manufacturers, from global majors such as Audi to Indian companies such as Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra, are exploring the possibilities of introducing driver less self-driven cars for India. The Government of India, through the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy-2013, among other things, aspires to position India among the world’s top five scientific powers.

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References – Media reports, Press Releases, Press Information Bureau (PIB), Union Budget 2016-17

Notes - * - As per information provided in Lok Sabha, **- , as per Ernst & Young’s (EYs) Global Capital Confidence Barometer (CCB) - Technology report, ^^ - according to a report by United Nations, ^ - according to a survey by Springer Nature

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and Interesting Technology is not responsible for any errors in the same.