Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology
Context
- India has long faced the challenge of brain drain in STEM migration abroad for better research opportunities, which has led to a gap between India’s intellectual potential and the resources available domestically.
Brain Drain in India
- Brain Drain refers to the emigration of highly skilled and educated individuals from one country to another, usually in search of better opportunities.
- In India engineers, doctors, scientists, IT professionals, and academics move to developed countries like the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia.
- Between 2015 and 2022, 1.3 million Indians left the country, many of whom were highly educated professionals.
- In 2022 alone, 225,000 Indians renounced their citizenship, the highest number recorded.
- Top Destinations: The United States, Canada, and Europe remain top destinations for these skilled workers.
Reasons for Brain Drain from India
- Economic Factors: Lower salaries compared to developed countries.
- Limited job opportunities for highly specialized skills.
- Educational and Professional Opportunities: Limited access to world-class research infrastructure.
- Better training, exposure, and career growth opportunities abroad.
- Preference for global higher education for advanced degrees.
- Lifestyle and Quality of Life: Better healthcare, infrastructure, and living standards abroad.
- Global recognition and networking opportunities.
- Inadequate Research Funding and Infrastructure: India’s expenditure on Research and Development stands at just 0.64% of GDP as of 2020-21, significantly lower than the global average of 1.79%.
Concerns
- Loss of Skilled Human Capital: India invests heavily in education and training, especially in fields like IT, medicine, and engineering.
- When highly skilled professionals emigrate, the country loses critical talent needed for innovation and economic growth.
- Slower Economic Development: Skilled professionals are key to entrepreneurship, research, and technological advancement.
- Brain drain reduces domestic productivity and slows the development of high-tech industries and start-ups.
- Impact on Health and Education Sectors: India faces shortages of doctors, nurses, and educators due to migration to countries with better pay and working conditions.
- Reduced Global Competitiveness: A consistent outflow of talent can make India less competitive in knowledge-intensive sectors.
- Other countries benefit from India’s investment in human capital without sharing the costs.
Government Initiatives
- Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF): Launched in 2018, PMRF aims to retain top research talent by offering monthly stipends of ₹70,000-80,000 and research grants up to ₹2 lakh per year.
- Medical Education Expansion: Medical colleges doubled to 808 in 2025-26 from 387 in 2013-14, with undergraduate seats up 141% and postgraduate seats up 144%
- VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Scheme: Invites overseas scientists and experts to collaborate with Indian institutions.
- Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): Established to enhance R&D investment and strengthen the innovation ecosystem, with the Union Budget 2024 creating a ₹20,000-crore corpus for private sector R&D.
- National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF): Encourages universities to improve research and academic standards.
- Ramanujan Fellowship & INSPIRE Faculty Scheme: Attracts young Indian scientists back to India after overseas experience.
Way Ahead
- Trigger for Repatriation Efforts: Policies abroad, such as the US visa and academic restrictions, have created an opportunity for India to attract its diaspora back.
- Investments like Google’s $15 billion AI hub in Andhra Pradesh reflect collaboration opportunities for returning talent.
- Education and Research Funding: India spends 3-4% of its GDP on education, below the global average of 4.9%. Increasing this to 5% would help bridge the gap.
- Increase R&D Spending: India must significantly boost R&D expenditure from the current 0.64% to at least 2% of GDP to match global standards.
- Private sector participation needs to increase as seen in developed economies.
- Freedom & Academic Openness: Academic freedom is essential for long-term retention and innovation.
- Incidents of scholar deportations and restrictions send discouraging signals to potential returnees.
Conclusion
- Repatriating talent is just the first step; India must create an ecosystem where brilliance can thrive—through robust institutions, academic autonomy, funding, and openness to challenging questions.
Source: IE
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