National Education Day: How Is India Leading In Science And Technology

The modern education in India has a strong focus on Science and Technology. The country's premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have not only carved out their place at the national level but have also earned recognition at the global level. As mentioned by Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, the six original IITs have together contributed 300 to 400 billion dollars to the world economy. The IITs have been featured consistently among the top-ranking educational institutions in the country and abroad. 

On the occasion of National  Education Day, here is a list of some of the advancements that country has made in the filed of Science and Technology. 

As per data shared by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) which is a trust established by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, India ranks third among the most attractive investment destinations for technology transactions in the world. The country is consistently witnessing an increasing number of multinational companies setting up their Research and Development centres. The government has lately introduced multiple policies to project India as a science and technology powerhouse at the global level. Several fellowship schemes to nurture the human capacity for advanced research in the country have also been implemented.

IBEF further mentioned that in FY21, there were 5,018 R&D projects, 2,528 fellowships, 3,702 publications, 30,532 ongoing projects and 797 innovations in India. The year also added 1,497,501 employees in the science and technology sector which emerged as the country's top employment generator.

Under the Union Budget 2022-23, the government announced an allocation of Rs 14,217 crore to the Ministry of Science and Technology. In the Union Budget 2023-24, the allocation of Rs 16,361 crore was made to the Department of Science and Technology.

India has initiated plans to move forward with developing its science and technology sector by collaborating with other countries. The country has active bilateral science and technology programmes of cooperation with more than 45 countries, including dedicated programmes for Africa, ASEAN, BRICS, EU and neighbouring countries.
The date from the IBEF also mentioned that the top IT firms in the country such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL and Tech Mahindra have added more than 122,000 employees in the first six months of FY22, nearly matching the 138,000 employees hired in the entirety of FY21. From 2014 to 2021, the country recorded a 572% growth in patent approvals.

TechnoPro, a Japanese tech firm, decided to hire 10,000 engineers and researchers in India by 2022-23.