India science and technology | What is Research and Development in India

India is among the largest countries in terms of science and technology

The development of any country is linked with the development of its people. In view of this, it becomes necessary that science-technology and research work should play an important role in every aspect of life. A country can progress on the path of development only when information and knowledge based environment is created for its future generation and adequate resources for research and research are available at the level of higher education.

Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan along with Jai Anusandhan

Earlier this year, the 106th Indian Science Congress was organized at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab. Speaking on the topic 'Future India: Science and Technology' in the same function, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also added "Jai Anusandhan" to Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan. He said that it is science through which India is changing its present and working to secure its future.

Some questions unanswered

There is no doubt that the life and work of Indian scientists has been a splendid example of integration of deep fundamental insight with technology development and nation building. But there are some facts which indicate where India stands in the field of scientific competition in the world today. What is the status of India in the field of research and development? After all, why India lags behind countries like China, Japan in terms of research work? What are the challenges that are holding back the wheel of India's progress in research and development? What are some solutions that can be done in this direction?

What is Research and Development in India?

According to UNESCO, the creative work done in a planned manner to increase the stock of knowledge is called research or development. It includes the knowledge of mankind, culture and society and the basic objective of research and development is to develop new applications from the sources of these available knowledge. There are mainly three types of activities under Research and Development (R&D) - Basic Research, Applied Research and Experimental Development.

Achievements of India in the field of Research and Development

1. According to the Indian Science and Research and Development Industry Report 2019, India is among the top ranking countries in the field of basic research.
2. The world's third largest scientific and technical manpower is also in India.
3. Various research works are carried out through research laboratories run by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
4. India ranks seventh among the leading countries in the field of science and technology research.
5. India has become the fourth major country in the region after Japan, Britain and the US by making a powerful supercomputer named Pratyush for weather forecasting and monitoring.
6. India ranks third in the world in terms of research on nanotechnology.
7. We are ranked 57th in the Global Innovation Index.
8. India is reaching the state of brain gain from brain drain and Indian scientists working abroad are returning home.
9. India is emerging as an applied research destination and over the years we have increased investment in research and development.
10. India's share of global R&D spending increased from 3.70% in 2017 to 3.80% in 2018.
11. India is fast emerging as a global R&D hub. The number of Multi-National Corporation Research and Development Centers in the country was 721 in 2010 and has now reached 1150 in 2018 as per the latest figures.

Government is promoting

The pace of research and development work in India is increasing rapidly in many areas. With the cooperation and support of the government, there has also been substantial investment and development through scientific research in various sectors such as education, agriculture, health, space research, manufacturing, bio-energy, hydro-technology, and nuclear energy. We are slowly becoming self-reliant in nuclear technology as well. There are many world renowned institutes in the field of research like CSIR, DRDO, ICAR, ISRO, ICMR, C-DAC, NDRI, Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). In such a situation, the progress made in the direction of research work in India cannot be denied, but the truth is that there are many barriers that are very important for Indian research and development to overcome.

Challenges before India in the field of research and development

Barring achievements in a few selected areas, India's position in science and technology development and research in the global context is not as strong as that of a large country like India. Therefore, it is important to note some facts. For example, where is India in the world from the point of view of scientific rivalry? The Nobel Prize is a world-renowned credible measure that measures the scientific strength of a country through its achievements in science and research. In this case our achievement is almost nil. In the year 1930, Sir C.V. No Indian scientist has been able to achieve this feat since Raman received the Nobel Prize. The reason is clear that there is neither proper infrastructure for basic research in the country, nor the desired projects nor sufficient funds are available for them.

The difference between the earth and the sky before and today

Talking about 40-50 years ago, about 50% of scientific research in the country was done in universities only. But gradually the availability of funds for research in our universities decreased.

Now the condition is that the interest of the youth is less in scientific research and more in other areas.

When it comes to women, the aim of their education is usually only to earn a degree; The fetters of society do not allow them to access research work and laboratories.

A recent survey by CSIR shows that around 3000 research papers are produced every year, but they do not contain any new ideas or ideas. The gross expenditure is also very less in universities and private and government sector laboratories. According to the latest figures, it is not even 1% of the total GDP. Scientists do not know since when this limit has been demanding to increase to 2%, but no government has been able to do anything in this direction. Not only this, this issue also remains missing from discussion in many prestigious national forums. It is therefore no surprise that India's contribution to global science is only 2-3% from the point of view of research/research papers. It is clear that in order to ensure economic progress and social development, the amount of emphasis that should be given on science and technology development at the national level, is not given even to the slightest extent.

What is Indian government doing?

1. There is no doubt that in the emerging scenario and competitive economy, science is being recognized as the most powerful vehicle of growth. The efforts made by the government behind this cannot be denied.
2. In order to promote new areas of science and technology in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) was established in 1971, which plays the role of a nodal center for organizing, coordinating and promoting science and technology activities in the country. Is.
3. The Department of Science and Technology has also prepared a roadmap named 'Technology Vision 2035' to achieve technical and scientific proficiency by 2035. In this, special attention has been given to 12 different sectors like education, medicine and health, food and agriculture, water, energy, environment etc.
4. The government also selected several projects with the aim of encouraging women scientists and doing research in applied science.
5. Jammu and Kashmir Arogya Gram Project to encourage farmers to produce herbs and research in this direction, National Super Computing Mission with the aim of making India a world class computing power, Atal Innovation Mission to promote innovation Some of the commendable initiatives of the government are the Atal Tickering Lab and the scholarship program Inspire Scheme to increase the interest of the students towards research work.

Latest Initiatives taken by Government

1. Talking about the latest initiatives for the year 2018-19, it includes the National Mission on Inter-disciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and The Global Cooling Prize.
2. In addition, an ASEAN-India Innotech Summit was organized with the aim of building a network between Indian and ASEAN researchers, scientists and innovators.
3. India and the UK working together through the India-UK Science and Innovation Policy Dialogue to address global challenges realizing the potential for promoting artificial intelligence (AI), the digital economy, health technologies, cyber security and clean growth .
4. Vayu-WAYU (Wind Augmentation & Purifying Unit) devices are being installed to combat vehicular pollution.
5. Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship Program is being run for the students to get exposure and training abroad.
6. Many other schemes like AWSAR (Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research) scheme etc. are being run to give information and dissemination of Indian research among the general public.
7. The Department of Science and Technology in association with Doordarshan and Prasar Bharati has also launched two new initiatives in the field of science communication namely DD Science and India Science.

What's the way forward?

1. Although the government is making efforts to promote innovation in the field of science and technology, still more efforts are needed in this direction.
2. There is a need to create better national facilities in the field of science and technology to promote participation in research work.
3. Appropriate programs should be launched to promote technology sharing between the Center and the States.
4. In the field of science and technology, the number of teachers should be increased so that the basic problem like lack of teachers in universities can be overcome.
5. There is also a need for proper institutional framework, suitable infrastructure, desired projects and substantial investment in science and technology institutions to enhance R&D activities, investment participation in mega science projects for creation of R&D infrastructure in India and abroad.
6. There is a need to provide opportunities for talented students to pursue careers in science, research and innovation.
7. In view of all this, a policy has to be made in which emphasis has to be made to promote scientific dissemination to all sections of the society and to enhance the skills for the applications of science among the youth from all social strata.