Tech Reforms Turn India into Science Powerhouse, Says Jitendra Singh

India’s science and technology ecosystem has leapt from the periphery to the epicentre of global innovation over the past eleven years, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr. Jitendra Singh declared at a joint press conference of all science ministries in New Delhi. Backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “science-led governance,” technology has become “the engine of India’s growth story,” he said, crediting bold policy shifts—such as unlocking the space and nuclear sectors—with turbo-charging a ₹38 lakh-crore ($455 billion) tech economy that now contributes more than 9 percent to GDP.

From Follower to Agenda-Setter

“India is no longer merely participating in global scientific discourse—we are shaping it,” Dr. Singh asserted. The transformation began with sweeping reforms in 2014 that slashed bureaucratic barriers, opened government R&D labs to startups, and tied research funding to real-world outcomes. Today, India ranks third worldwide for the number of peer-reviewed STEM publications and has jumped from 81st to 40th in the Global Innovation Index.

Biotechnology: BioE3 Policy Pushes a $166 Billion Bioeconomy

India’s biotech sector, valued at $165.7 billion, is surging on the back of the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) policy. Highlights include:

• Seven home-grown vaccines—among them the world’s first plasmid-DNA COVID jab.

• 1,750+ patent filings in just ten years.

• Breakthrough gene therapy trials for haemophilia poised to make India a hub for affordable rare-disease treatments.

• Kisan BiokkAvch, a low-cost protective suit guarding farmers from pesticide exposure, now deployed in nine states.

Next up: astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will test Indian lab-on-chip diagnostics aboard the private Axiom-4 spaceflight, a first for an Indian-made biotech payload.

Space & Nuclear Sectors: Unlocked and Unleashed

Opening ISRO facilities to private players has spawned more than 180 space-tech startups and halved launch costs. Milestones include:

• Chandrayaan-3: first-ever landing at the Moon’s south pole.

• Aditya-L1: Asia’s maiden solar observatory, launched 2023.

• A near-doubling of commercial satellite launches since policy liberalisation in 2020.

Parallel reforms in atomic energy have green-lit small modular reactors and medical-isotope production, positioning India as a supplier of cancer-diagnostic isotopes to 40 countries.

Earth Sciences: Neighbourhood-First Climate Services

The Ministry of Earth Sciences now shares real-time cyclone, flood and heat-wave alerts with eight South Asian neighbours via its INSAT-3DR and SCATSAT-1 satellites, reinforcing India’s “first responder” image in the Indian Ocean. Forecast accuracy for severe weather in the Delhi-NCR region has improved from 60 percent in 2014 to 92 percent in 2025.

Oceans & Polar Frontiers

• Samudrayaan: India’s crewed deep-sea mission is on track, with the Matsya 6000 submersible entering final pressure-chamber tests. Full sea trials begin 2026, unlocking access to polymetallic nodules vital for battery metals.

• India’s third Antarctic research base, Maitri-II, will integrate renewable-energy micro-grids, reflecting a shift toward green polar logistics.

Digital Tech for Rural Empowerment

The Department of Science & Technology has fused drones, GNSS and blockchain into flagship rural schemes:

• Soil Health Card 2.0 delivers precision fertiliser advice via QR-coded reports to 110 million farmers.

• SVAMITVA uses drone mapping to issue tamper-proof digital titles for nearly 340,000 villages, curbing land disputes and enabling ₹22,000 crore in collateral-backed loans.

• AI-based “FloodWatch” and “AgroCast” apps disseminate hyper-local advisories in 12 Indian languages.

CSIR’s Aroma Revolution & Startup Catalyst

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research support for niche agri-startups sparked the Purple Revolution—lavender cultivation that tripled farmer incomes in Jammu’s Doda district and replicated across nine Himalayan states. CSIR tech-transfer offices have helped spin out 450 startups, generating 70,000 direct jobs.

Global Leadership Through Frugal Innovation

Principal Scientific Adviser Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood noted that India’s low-cost, high-impact solutions—from rapid RT-PCR kits at ₹150 to ₹12,000 portable dialysis units—are now exported to 34 countries. “Science is at the centre of India’s development journey,” he said, echoing Dr. Singh’s call for India to “beckon, not borrow” best practices.

Challenges Ahead: Scaling, Funding, Talent

Despite the gains, Secretary DST Dr. Abhay Karandikar cautioned that R&D spending remains stuck at 0.82 percent of GDP, below the 2 percent global average. Initiatives such as the ₹50,000 crore Anusandhan National Research Foundation aim to bridge the gap by crowding in industry funds and wooing diaspora scientists.

Outlook: Toward a $1 Trillion Tech Economy by 2030

From space biology to deep-sea mining, India’s “science-led Gati Shakti” roadmap envisions technology contributing 15 percent to GDP by 2030 and creating 25 million skilled jobs. “Our farmer is now master of his destiny,” Dr. Singh concluded, “and our scientist is free to dream big—together scripting India’s techade.”