In an interaction with the heads of over a hundred institutes including the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and IISERs, Prime Minister Narendra  Modi said the ”Atmanirbhar  Abhiyan” (mission of self-dependence) being implemented by his government should form the basis for achieving the dreams and aspirations in the coming 25 years. The Prime Minister further said that research and development institutions would be critical to ensure the upcoming decade is termed “India’s techade”.  

The prime minister is right when he said there is a need to focus on developing futuristic solutions in the fields of education, health care, agriculture, defense and cyber technologies. The prime minister knows that several other sectors including chemical and allied industries have to expand and come up with improved performance at a quantitative and qualitative level, as the progress in these areas is a precondition for development in several other sectors.

Modi has high expectations from the innovators, researchers and scientists in India.

However, considering the ground realities, it appears that India still has a long way to go.

Drastic changes have to be brought about in the mindset of the Indian scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs, apart from the significant improvement needed in the commitment of those in power and those serving in the government apparatus at various levels.

Performance in R & D

While there are a few isolated spectacular achievements in R&D in some sectors, taking a holistic view, the overall achievements in this field do not inspire confidence.

R&D activities are taking place in India largely in government-owned Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs and universities. The private sector’s contribution to R&D activities is minimal due to whatever reasons.

As a result, the growth of the Indian industry now is largely dependent on the level of import of technology from abroad, which happens even from tiny countries like Taiwan, South Korea and Israel.

To achieve the prime minister’s aspirations for India’s techade, an element of dynamism and accountability has to be injected into the Indian R&D institutions and universities. Since the government is spending thousands of crores of rupees year after year in funding research and in maintaining research institutions, it needs to ensure the investment is well utilized.

One solution could be to privatize the CSIR labs and convert them into a joint venture between private bodies and the government, which would lead to purposive and target-oriented, and time-bound research activities.  Further, international organizations should be encouraged to set up research centers in India, for which India needs to proactively modify the patent regulations and policies relating to intellectual property rights. This would go a long way in moving towards techade India.

Meddling environmentalists

In India, unfortunately, the dividing line between politicians and environmentalists has become too thin. As a result, even some well-meaning projects have been stopped by so-called environmentalists, due to political reasons and motivated, poorly informed and prejudiced views.

Sadly the media and politicians do not give credence to the views and opinions of the scientists and researchers in matters relating to science, technology and ecological issues. The politicians and activists seem to think they have the “liberty” to overrule the scientists and researchers.  

The immediate example is the Neutrino project in Tamil Nadu, which has been stranded due to agitation by politicians and environmental activists, who seem to think they know better than the researchers and scientists even about such advanced technologies.  It may be recalled that the views of late President A P J Abdul Kalam,  who was a renowned scientist, supporting the Neutrino project were not good enough for the politicians and activists in Tamil Nadu to give up their resistance to it.

Similar prejudiced debates against other crucial projects have resulted in their derailment, causing enormous harm to the country’s industrial and scientific advancement.

Consistent government policies

On many occasions, frequent changes in the policies, tax measures and directives of the government have upset the short-term and long-term plans of project promoters and industrialists.

One immediate example s the retrospective tax, which has made the Vedanta group go to court against the government.

The frequent and sudden changes in the mining laws have also impacted several mineral-based industries.

The sugar industry is yet another victim of the government’s whimsical policies concerning cane pricing, export of sugar, etc., which come as a bolt from the blue for the project promoters.

Certainly, there are many project promoters and entrepreneurs in India in multiple fields, who have shown extraordinary levels of initiatives that have contributed to the industrial and economic growth of India.

While some entrepreneurs might have indulged in misappropriation on some occasions, they are very few and it is extremely counterproductive to view all entrepreneurs with suspicion. Some politicians and motivated critics have been creating a bad image about the project promoters as if they are greedy and exploiters and the media gives undue publicity to such aspersions.

For example, the campaign against the Sterlite Copper unit in Tamil Nadu which has been forced to close down by the Tamil Nadu state government is suspected to be more political than technical. While the courts have allowed Sterlite Copper to resume operations after examining the environmental issues and suggesting some remedial measures, the hate campaign against the promoters is so venomous that the state government is refusing to permit the unit to operate. As a result, India has now become a net importer of copper though it was an exporter of copper when Sterilite Copper was in operation.  In the process, India is losing foreign exchange worth several thousands of crores of rupees.

Is India’s techade achievable?

All said and done, the Prime Minister’s aspiration on India’s techade is praiseworthy and achievable. However, this cannot be achieved by tall talk and impressive dreams.

While several measures are required to improve the investment and research climate, investors and researchers should first be given their due place in the country and their true image as contributors to national growth should be protected,  so long as they operate within the ambit of the law.

Finally, one should take a look at political corruption at various levels including at the ministerial level, which is adversely impacting the growth of the economy and industrial projects.

The Prime Minister should boldly tell the ministers and bureaucrats, both at the central and state level, that they should stop forthwith the habit of summoning chief executives and top officers of the industrial and commercial organizations for personal appearances at the drop of a hat.

Often such summons follows demand for favoritism and bribes by those in power. Many a time, the executives feel humiliated at the hands of even petty government officials. Modi should condemn such behavior and tell the ministers and bureaucrats that they should exercise their powers within limits of modesty and humility and should not behave like emperors.

While India’s techade is technically feasible, whether it is achievable in practical terms is a moot question.

The Prime Minister has done well to call upon the scientists and technologists and industrialists to raise their performance.  At the same time, he should also realize that they can raise their performance only if the ministers and bureaucrats and officials at various levels in the government improve their standards of performance.

It needs two hands to clap.

(The writer is a Trustee, NGO Nandini Voice for the Deprived, Chennai. The views are personal. He can be contacted at nsvenkatchennai@gmail.com)