TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN INDIA

---- SANDHYA PILLAI & NANDHINI A T H

* The tradition of science and technology (S&T) in India is over 5,000 years old. * A renaissance was witnessed in the first half of the 20th century.* The S&T infrastructure has grown up from about ` 10 million at the time of independence in 1947 to ` 30 billion. * Significant achievements have been made in the areas of nuclear and space science, electronics and defense. * The government is committed to making S&T an integral part of the socio-economic development of the country.

* India has the third largest scientific and technical manpower in the world; 162 universities award 4,000 doctorates and 35,000 postgraduate degrees and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research runs 40 research laboratories that have made some significant achievements. * In the field of Missile Launch Technology, India is among the top five nations of the world.

* Science and technology, however, is used as an effective instrument for growth and change.

* It is being brought into the mainstream of economic planning in the sectors of agriculture, industry and services.

* The country's resources are used to derive the maximum output for the benefit of society and improvement in the quality of life.

* About 85 per cent of the funds for S&T come directly or indirectly from the Government.

* The S&T infrastructure in the country accounts for more than one per cent of the GNP.

* S&T in India is entering a new frontier.

Advancements in the following fields Atomic energy Space Electronics Oceanography Biotechnology IT Telecom

E-Governance Primary , secondary &

tertiary industries

ATOMIC ENERGY

Atomic energy

India is today recognized as one of the most advanced countries in nuclear technology including production of source materials.

The country is self-reliant and has mastered the expertise covering the complete nuclear cycle from exploration and mining to power generation and waste management.

Accelerators and research and power reactors are now designed and built indigenously.

The sophisticated variable energy cyclotron at Kolkata and a medium-energy heavy ion accelerator 'pelletron' set up recently at Mumbai are national research facilities in the frontier areas of science.

As part of its programme of peaceful uses of atomic energy, India has also embarked on a programme of nuclear power generation

India has a huge demand of power supply and by 2020 the existing demand is likely to double.

Per Capita electricity consumption seems to grow manifold and India had to look for other energy sources for generation of electricity. Nuclear technology came to its rescue.

India has knowledge of fast reactors and Thorium fuel cycle which will take it to one of the leaders’ positions in nuclear technology.

SPACE RESEARCH

Space research

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), under the Department of Space (DOS), is responsible for research, development and operationalisation of space systems in the areas of satellite communications, remote sensing for resource survey, environmental monitoring, meteorological services, etc. DOS is also the nodal agency for the Physical Research Laboratory, which conducts research in the areas of space science, and the National Remote Sensing Agency, which deploys modern remote-sensing techniques for natural resource surveys and provides operational services to user agencies.

ELECTRONICS

The Department of Electronics plays the promotional role for the development and use of electronics for socio-economic development.

Many initiatives have been taken for a balanced growth of the electronics industry.

The basic thrust has been towards a general rationalization of the licensing policy with an emphasis on promotion rather than regulation, besides achieving economy of scale with up-to-date technology

The Department of Electronics plays the promotional role for the development and use of electronics for socio-economic development. Many initiatives have been taken for a balanced growth of the electronics industry.

The basic thrust has been towards a general rationalization of the licensing policy with an emphasis on promotion rather than regulation, besides achieving economy of scale with up-to-date technology.

A multi-pronged approach has been evolved for result-oriented R&D with special emphasis on microelectronics, telematics, and high-performance computing and software development.

The major R&D initiatives of the Group has been in the development of Linac tubes, automateion & Intelligent Transportation Systems technology, setting up of Nano electronics centres & generic Nanometrology facilities.

oceanography

India has a coastline of more than 7,600 km and 1,250 islands, with its Exclusive Economic Zone covering over 2 million sq. km and continental shelf extending up to 350 nautical miles. . Two research vessels, ORV SagarKanya and FROV SagarSampada, are assessing and evaluating the resource potential.

A National Institute of Ocean Technology was set up for the development of ocean-related technologies. It is also responsible for harnessing resources of the coastal belts and islands.

Biotechnology

India has been the forerunner among the developing countries in promoting multi-disciplinary activities in this area, recognizing the practically unlimited possibility of their applications in increasing agricultural and industrial production, and in improving human and animal life. The nucleus of research in this area is the National Biotechnology Board, constituted in 1982.

. Some of the new initiatives taken include developing techniques for gene mapping, conservation of biodiversity and bio-indicators research, special biotechnology programmes for the benefit of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and activities in the area of plantation crops.

The areas which have been receiving attention are cattle herd improvement through embryo transfer technology, in vitro propagation of disease resistant plant varieties for obtaining higher yields, and development of vaccines for various diseases.

Information Technology

India is growing and one of the factors contributing to its growth is technology. Every time there was a revolution, mankind has benefited. This time we can call it a technological revolution . Entry of wireless services and VoIP has equipped the users with mobility and coverage in negligible price. Making unlimited video calls and voice calls all over the world have become free of cost with one-time payment for getting the service enabled

There are around 900 million mobile users in India which makes it 2nd largest in the world. As far as internet is concerned it is third largest with 108 million users. Launch of Aakash Tablet has given us yet another thing to be proud of as it is the world’s cheapest tablet.

3G technology is definitely going to get a boom in near future

Indian Military

India lies in a dangerous neighbourhood with two hostile countries, which have gone to war against it in the past.

India has always maintained that all its defense related developments are for peaceful & defensive measures, & not to outdo anyone.

India has a large pool of technology related talents, & defense research Organisations are doing their part to bring out the best in the Indian Armed Force by either collaborating with foreign companies or developing technology & designs indigenously.

Recent developments

INS VIKRAMADITYA- Indain Navy’s latest acquisition

LCA TEJAS- India’s first indigenous Light Combat Aircraft

MOUNTAIN STRIKE CORPS- 2 independent infantry & armoured brigade operating along the entire line of actual control (LAC) with China

AGNI V- India tested for the second time its over 5000 km Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) succesfully in september 2013 of the Odisha coast.

INS ARIHANT & INS VIKRANT PILATUS PC MK II GSAT -7 SAGARIKA MISSILE

AGRICULTURE

The era of modernization is viewed in the entire sectors especially in the agriculture sector. Gone are the days when farmers meant a poor man laboring hard to meet his needs. In the modern times, farmers are equipped with agriculture technology that is latest and trouble free

SOIL PRODUCTIVITY GENETIC ARCHITECTURE

MUTATION TECHNOLOGY GENE SANTUARIES FARM MACHINERY & IMPLEMENTS SPINOFFS OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY BIO DIVERSITY CHARACTERIZATION ACCELERATED IRRIGATION BENEFIT

PROGRAMS

HEALTH CARE

The demand for healthcare services in India has grown from $ 4.8 billion in 1991 to $ 22.8 billion in 2001-02, indicating an annual growth rate of 16 %.

. Using technology in Health care will help improving various processes like patient diagnosis, data management, e-prescription, pathology lab management, appointment scheduling, case analysis etc

New technologies in the healthcare management systems have come up which consists of electronic data storage, data maintenance and exchange. Such process when implemented will make the healthcare management process effective. Example of such type of healthcare management system is Electronic Medical Records (EMR).