Evolution of Technology Vision 2020

India's core Competencies

Your country , brother , shall be your love!
Good unto better you shall improve!
Great deeds indeed are needed now!
Work hard , work long in form and factory!
Let the land be abundant in milk and honey!
Flood the land with goods , all made at home!
Spread your handiwork all over the world!
Are you a patriot? Do not shout it aloud!
Bragging never did anybody any good!
Quietly , do a fine deed instead!
Let the people see it , it is that they decide!

-Desha bhakthi by Gurajada Translated from Telugu by Sri Sri Mahakavi

In the preindependence days India had many dreamers many capable women and men thinking of a strong and modern India. Many of them took initiative in various fields , political , social , economic industrial , educational , literacy , scientific ,engineering and religious. The enriched India by their actions and reflected different facts of our Independence struggle. Independent India was enriched by this inheritance. Added to this was the fact that India had richer natural resources as compared to many other countries These perceptions led to the passionate call for building a great nation.

After independence India made simultaneous progress in many fields: agriculture , health , education , infrastructure , science and technology , among others. Her vibrant democracy was a wonder to the world , which thought India would be plunged into chaos after the British left. About two decades after independence despite our numerous achievements. Doubts emerged about our ability to handle our system on our own. Many of our vital socioeconomic and even military sectors began to have a greater dependence on foreign sources for innovation or technology Self reliance and commitment to science and technology were the declared policies , but often crucial economic and industrial decision were based on technology imports are licensed production both in the private and public sectors.

Space research and a few other areas developed more as islands of confidence rather than as movements for developing core industrial and technological competencies. Therefore around late 70's and 80's a diffidence to take major initiatives had begun to set in , though there are some remarkable examples facing of facing challenges too be it by launching a missile programme or building a super computer or launching a few technology missions are in establishing institutions like C-DoT (Centre for Development of Telematics )

Faced with this unusual combination of growing dependency with a few bold successes a unique institution called the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council(TIFAC) was born in 1988. Its major task was to look a head at the technologies emerging worldwide and pick those technology trajectories which were relevant for India and should be promoted. In its Task TIFAC networked various stakeholders: the government industries , users scientific and technological institutions , financial institutions and intellectuals.

TIFAC also studied the ideas of several Indian visionaries in the fields of technology and the plans of various organizations. Over a period of year it produced several reports suggesting what India should do to assume leadership in areas like sugar , leather , steel , biotechnology or manufacturing. It did not stop merely at studies but also attempted to make the stakeholders take action. A few major government supported technology missions with strong industrial participation were an outcome of these activities.

All these were good initiatives successfully undertaken in exceptionally difficult situations. Though laudable however they did not go for enough in the context of a big country like India seeking to fulfill her true potential This was uppermost in the minds of concerned Indians.

Technology Vision 2020

It is against this background that the TIFAC Governing council met on 24 November 1993 with its forty members drawn from industry R&D establishment, academic institutions government departments and financial institutions and debated how TIFAC could contribute to national development An intense discussion took place about India's past and present technological performance and what could be feasible in the future In the midst of discussion one of the TIFAC council members posed a very interesting question. "Mr Chairman, we all have to address one issue: India today almost fifty years since 1947, is branded a developing country. What will make a country a developed nation?"

Every one presented realized that therein lay the crux of the problem and to arrive at the answer to the question became the agenda. Two council meetings were held to discuss the mean to arrive at the answer. It was realized that technology is the highest wealth generator in the shortest possible period if it is deployed in the right direction. Technology strengthens the political , economic and security structure of the nation For India technology had to be the vision for the future.

Technology can help transform multiple areas such as education and training , agriculture and food processing strategic industries and infrastructure in various fields It is on this basis that the task forces and panels of the Technology Vision 2020 were constituted

India's needs and core competencies

India's needs are very clear : to remove the poverty of our millions as speedily as possible say before 2010 : to provide health to all to provide good education and skills for all; to provide employment opportunities for all to be Self-reliant in national security and build up capabilities to sustain and improve on all these in future. How can India meet these needs? To able to chart out the possible path towards this end an assessment of India's core competencies is a prerequisite.

What is a core competency? Put simply it means that in a certain ares we have some inherent strengths whereby we can show a much better output and results in a shorter time In the final analysis any given group of people in any locale and under any conditions can accomplish what they really want to. But there are certain things which they can do much better given the same will and effort either due to more enabling environment or due to better experience These then are a country core competencies

There have been a number of debates on the existence of core competencies in India: some backed by informed opinion and others charged with strong emotion This is because India is vast country with different regions having different weakness and different strengths. There are also different types of people some with the best of education , training and exposure and experience There are many less fortunate ones with less average educational opportunities and work experience. There are many unfortunate ones for whom survival on a day to day basis take up all their attention they have few skills any very little opportunities Such problems need not overwhelm us. An objective appraisal shows that less fortunate Indians to have shown the ability to absorb new techniques and skills also methods of functioning In the early years after independence the rapid growth of the economy was due to our innate ability Our people learn new agriculture practices many learnt to work in factories and various public service activities An improved educational base helped them better absorb the new approaches and knowledge's Despite the appalling state of female illiteracy it is also a fact that a large number of women from all walks of life rapidly adjusted to new forms of economic activity.

It is clear that the major technological and industrial achievements of our country have come about through the endeavors of thousands of young women and men who studied in ordinary schools and colleges in different parts of India. Not all the few million person of Indian origin who live and work in different parts of the world and from the Indian Institutes of Technology or such other prestigious institutes They are from the ordinary institutes of India. They are doctors , engineers , technicians , nurses , artists , writer , journalist , accountants , clerks , teachers and various kind professional and other work force Even the recent Indian software miracle is the making of large number of 'Ordinary women and men who may not be able to talk fluently in English but can understand instruction manuals and master computer operations well enough to enable them to stand up to global competition

One thing then is crystal clear :India's human resource base is one of its greatest core competencies. It is India's Strengths If we can train a unskilled Indian if we can impart better skills to be skilled Indian and if we create a more challenging environment for the educated as well as build avenues for economic activities in agriculture industry and service sectors these Indians will not meet only the targets have excel them The Technology vision documents advocates the formation of the human resource cadre that will not be the foundation of the action packages for the country in the near future In a cadre will lead us to economic achievement

Indians not only have a great learning capability but most of them also have an entrepreneurial and competitive spirit. Today there are not enough avenues to channelize this spirit constructively and productively That is what we should aim for Naturally the vision projects several elements that Capitalize on this vital resource of India The details of emphasis vary from sector to sector whether it is agro food or materials or biotechnology or strategic Industries and take into account both socioeconomic needs and the complexities of the technology Involved.

Another core strength of India is its natural resources base Though India may not have rich deposits of all the ores and minerals or of a uniformly high quality it is abundant supplies of most of them. We have good ores of steel and aluminium We have abundant supplies of ores of the wonder metal titanium and several rare earth materials though we have not use them effectively We have a vast coastline which stores many resources and energy supplies They are the strength of our future as we use more of our land resources Undersea resources are yet to be explored.

In addition to these we have an excellent base for living resources very rich biodiversity; abundant sunshine; varied agro-climatic conditions almost a microcosm of the globe from arctic cloud to tropical green to bare deserts ; and plenty of rainfall though we do not tap it effectively To illustrate if the annual rainfall all over India were evenly spreed over the country the water would exceed one meter in depth If only we could tap such largesse! India's Technology Vision 2020 is build around its natural resource base its vast human resources base and the core competencies of the nation.