-Abhijeet Singh Yadav
Economic growth in India has been gaining momentum for good part of over three decades after the 1991 economic reforms and even though the corona pandemic slowed down its pace, economic growth continues with an economy reviving itself. Technology is a major factor that lead this growth and also assisted other sectors in increasing their share in the same with the use of technology.
India is driving on the road of growth but it needs advancements in technology more than capital investments to make it reach the destination of economic growth faster. It needs to increase investment in technological innovations to spur up indigenous novelty. With an estimated population of 136 crores and huge demographic dividend India has a leverage over the other countries which are suffering due to lack of manpower. But for India to make the most this situation and gain the upper hand over the rest of the world, it needs to focus on its technological needs and even more on building them indigenously.
Energy sector is evolving rapidly with technological innovations and collaboration with automobile industry in the E-vehicle front. Green energy sources are being explored with progress every day. Use and extraction of solar, hydrogen is increasing and India with its missions like National Hydrogen Mission and National Renewable Energy Policy is putting in efforts but India needs to step up and further its efforts in this field, so as to compete with the world and achieve complete electrification of vehicles and maximize utilization of green energy which will help the nation in obliging to its climate goals sustainable development.
Automation industry is booming and it is going to lead the future. India is making development in automation and taking steps to integrate it with other sectors. On the other hand, developed countries have already achieved this and are ahead of the world. For India to compete with them it needs a strong impetus in automation, because for India’s aspirations of inclusive development and all-sectoral growth, to come true, automation is a necessity.
The expanding economy of India is propelling growth in local demand which is making IT sector grow exponentially and stringent steps are being taken to fast forward the implementation of new technologies. In the future India will need to strategize, implement and execute the next generation tech like Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities, Blockchain, Internet of Things, more and more as the times will demand.
India is agriculture driven nation with livelihoods of millions dependent on it. With growing population, the strain on arable land will increase and increasing climatic changes will affect the cropping pattern and crop failure leading to farmer’s distress. To tackle these miseries technology will play a big role and with use of modern digital technologies such as sensors, location data derived from GPS and satellites, robotics and analytics India will witness the changing face of agriculture.
A well-functioning healthcare system and healthy population are critical to the economic and social well-being of a country. Healthcare system is now a top priority of the Indian government. Use of technology for evidence and data collection to accelerate innovation and a change in risk mitigation strategies is under progress. In coming future technology is going to be essential in organizing processes and making healthcare more accessible and to achieve that India will need robust digital connectivity front across villages and cities to make it a success.
Due to increasing global warming, climate changes are also intensifying making disasters more prone and detrimental. The effects of these changes are being witnessed by India also with increased vulnerability of disasters in various regions of the country. To overcome these challenges technological solutions should be implemented which will aid the country in disaster prevention, mitigation response and recovery. Remote sensing, Geographical Information System, Global Positioning System (GPS), Satellite navigation system, Satellite communication are few technological advancements that will help in disaster management. This will assist the government agencies and other humanitarian actors involved in rescue operations to get the predictable and effective information in timely manner, thus helping them in making better decisions.
As India now aspires to becoming a global leader, the security challenges become more compounded and complex. A host of components ranging from domestic challenges to external scenarios impact internal security. The enemy is invisible in cyberspace and social media which remain borderless and grey in operation. The new emerging technologies like Behavioural Analytics, Embedded Hardware Authentication, Blockchain Cybersecurity
and further adoption needs to be an imperative exercise by our stakeholders across the national security architecture. Technological innovations in this sphere are needed for India’s progress and sturdy defence mechanism.
With increasing investments in technology all over the globe, India needs to catch the train of technological advancement by taking major steps in this direction and drafting policies with future prospects in mind. Encouraging indigenous platforms and agencies making progress in this path, will aid India accomplish its destiny and realize the dream of collective effort and inclusive growth.