India Aims for Developed Nation Status by 2047 with Boost in Skilled Workforce and R&D Investment
India is setting its sights on becoming a developed nation by 2047, and to achieve this ambitious goal, the country is focusing on enhancing its skilled workforce and increasing investment in research and development (R&D). Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, emphasized the critical need to address the shortage of trained manpower in the R&D sector.
During an interview at the PANIIT 2024 meeting near Washington DC, Karandikar highlighted that India’s size and scale require a substantial number of quality R&D professionals to drive advancements in science and technology. To overcome existing challenges, he emphasized the need to significantly enhance R&D investment as a percentage of India’s GDP, which currently lags behind the global average.
India has taken a significant step towards bolstering its research capabilities by establishing the Annusandhan National Research Foundation with increased government resources. However, private sector contributions are vital to match or exceed the global average in R&D spending as a percentage of GDP, Karandikar explained. He called for increased collaboration between industry and academia, along with heightened R&D spending by the private sector, to overcome the existing resource challenges.
Karandikar aligned these efforts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047 and emphasized the importance of achieving global leadership in science and technology. He acknowledged the surge in innovation in India following the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in vaccine development and MedTech devices, and stressed the need to sustain this momentum.
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an example, Karandikar highlighted India’s unique opportunities due to its vast population and linguistic diversity. He noted that these factors position India to generate unparalleled datasets crucial for AI advancements and the development of innovative foundation models for various Indian languages. This, in turn, will drive AI innovations in the country and shape its trajectory in the coming years.
The PANIIT 2024 event, which took place from January 12 to January 14, served as a platform for discussions on India’s technological advancements and future strategies.
In conclusion, India’s quest to become a developed nation by 2047 hinges on bolstering its skilled workforce and increasing investment in R&D. By addressing the shortage of trained manpower in the R&D sector and enhancing R&D spending, particularly in science and technology, India can pave the way for innovation and achieve its goal of global leadership.
