Why India needs a technology commission

OUR SCIENTIFIC INVESTMENTS MUST REMAIN STEADY

- RUDRA PRATAP

INDIA DOES NOT lack engineers, scientists, or ambition. What we lack is a technology base that compounds.

The reason is we don’t plan past the next Budget cycle. Most Indian technology decisions run on a 3-5-year horizon. Budgets reset annually. Political cycles reset every five years. Procurement priorities shift. This makes sense for roads, but fails for semiconductors, aerospace, biotech, energy futures. They have learning curves of 15-25 years.

Not having a long-term roadmap

Without a 20-25-year roadmap, three things break down.