Long March Ahead to Technological Independence

Syllabus: GS3/Science & Technology

Context

• India’s pursuit of technological independence has become a strategic imperative, as digital sovereignty increasingly aligns with national security.

Need for Technological Autonomy in India

• Technological autonomy refers to a nation’s capacity to innovate, manufacture, and maintain critical technologies without excessive reliance on foreign entities.
  • It encompasses sectors like defense, healthcare, energy, digital infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing.
• The strategic autonomy in foreign policy is increasingly intertwined with technological independence.
  • Dependence on imported semiconductors, defense equipment, and digital platforms poses risks to national security, as current global dynamics and geopolitics are shaped more by cyber warfare, software, and drones.
  • Indigenous capabilities in these areas are essential to ensure sovereign decision-making and reduce vulnerability to external pressures.

India’s Developmental Journey in Technological Autonomy

• Foundations of a Scientific Nation:
  • The First Five-Year Plan (1951) laid the groundwork for agricultural reform, infrastructure development, and scientific research.
  • Institutions like CSIR (1942),  Department of Atomic Energy (1954), DRDO (1958),  Department of Space (1972) were established to drive indigenous research and innovation across critical sectors.
  • India enshrined the development of a scientific temper in its Constitution (in 1976), affirming that inquiry, rationality, and humanism were civic duties — a visionary move that continues to shape its scientific ethos.
• Agriculture and Food Security: India’s Green and White Revolutions in the 1960s and 1970s transformed it from a food-deficient nation to one of self-sufficiency.
  • High-yielding crop varieties, mechanization, and indigenous pesticide development — led by CSIR and ICAR — enabled India to permanently reduce its dependence on food imports.
• Space and Strategic Technologies: ISRO’s rise from humble beginnings to launching missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan reflects India’s commitment to space autonomy.
  • The Pokhran nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998 marked milestones in strategic self-reliance, leading to the declaration of National Technology Day on May 11th.
• Health and Innovation: India’s pharmaceutical sector, bolstered by public R&D and private enterprise, now supplies affordable medicines globally.
  • India developed indigenous vaccines and digital platforms like CoWIN, showcasing its ability to respond swiftly and independently to global crises.

Current Government Initiatives

• Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): It was established as an apex body through the ANRF Act, 2023.
  • It is designed to provide high-level strategic direction for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship across a wide range of fields in India.
• Space Reforms (ISRO + IN-SPACe) encourage private sector participation in space technologies.
• National Initiative on Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI): To foster a robust innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• SUPRA (Scientific and Useful Profound Research Advancement) Scheme: It supports individual researchers and groups in India for fundamental research with long-term impact.
• TARE (Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence) scheme: It facilitates faculty mobility from State and private institutions to central research centers for hands-on research experience.
• Indian Science, Technology, and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM): It provides researchers, startups, and academic institutions across India with transparent access to publicly funded scientific equipment and R&D facilities.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan emphasizes indigenization in defense, electronics, and space technology.
• Digital India Programme focuses on digital infrastructure, services, and literacy.
• National Education Policy 2020 stresses research and innovation ecosystems through NRF (National Research Foundation).
• Semiconductor Mission (2021) promotes domestic chip manufacturing to reduce dependency on East Asian suppliers.

Challenges Ahead

• Low R&D spending: India invests ~0.7% of GDP in research, far below global leaders like South Korea (>4%).
• Technology gaps: Dependence continues in semiconductors, advanced materials, and medical equipment.
• Software Sovereignty: India currently lacks a home-grown operating system, database, or foundational software it can fully trust.
• Skilled workforce: A mismatch exists between education and rapidly evolving technological needs.
• Global competition: Rapid advances in AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology demand accelerated efforts.

Roadmap: Towards a Mission for Technological Independence

• Enhance R&D funding through public-private partnerships.
• Strengthen academia-industry collaboration for translational research.
• Promote indigenous startups in frontier technologies with incentives.
• Data localization and cybersecurity frameworks to ensure digital sovereignty.
• Regional technology clusters for semiconductor fabs, biotech hubs, and AI labs.
• International collaboration with self-reliance – engage globally but prioritize indigenous capacity building.
• Ensure financial sustainability through models that are self-supporting, rather than entirely dependent on government or corporate funding.

Conclusion

• India has the talent, expertise, and resources to achieve technological sovereignty, but it needs the collective will. 
• Technological independence demands a national mission, same as political independence requires unity and persistence, one that combines open-source innovation, strategic investment, and a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Source: TH