INDIA’S INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT TO UNITE NATIONS
STUDY GUIDE
COMMITTEE: NITI AAYOG
AGENDA: ROADMAP TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT
OF INDIGENOUS TECHNOLOGIES
MANDATE
NITI Aayog, short for the National Institution for Transforming India, was established on
January 1, 2015, after the dissolution of the Planning Commission of India by a Union
Cabinet resolution. The current Chairperson of the NITI Aayog is Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, and the Vice-Chairperson is Shri Suman Bery. The CEO of the NITI Aayog is Shri. B.
V. R. Subrahmanyam. NITI Aayog is not a constitutional or statutory body but an advisory
body, also known as the think tank of the Indian government. Its establishment aims to
accelerate the country's economic growth and promote cooperative federalism. NITI Aayog
follows a bottom-up approach.
INTRODUCTION
Technology is central to any country’s prosperity and development not just at the national
level but from a global point of view. It is vital to enable accelerated socio-economic growth,
effective governance, and faster delivery of benefits. The world's challenge during the
COVID-19 pandemic exposed the challenges and opportunities for many developing nations,
especially India, for a new world of technological advancements and developments.
Developing indigenous technological capabilities as a multidimensional strategy fulfils two
objectives: addressing the lack of resources during crises or pandemics and strengthening the
country’s self-reliance on technology.
What is Indigenous Technology?
Indigenous technology refers to the technology that has been built and employed by the
native people of a country (here: India) through natively built means and methods
representing the rich history, heritage and culture of the country.
Indigenously developed technologies can be employed in the fields of defence, health,
education, finances, agriculture, manufacturing and services which helps a country in
self-reliance and less dependent on other countries making them economically sovereign and
independent. Our world is divided on various lines. But the worst type of division that has
been created is due to inequality. The result of years of colonial and imperial exploitation of
countries around the world divided the world between the Developed and the
Underdeveloped. Countries have also been classified into First World, Second World and
Third World based on economic policy. This has resulted in the dependence of many
countries on just a handful of nations for technology and resources. Taking the case of India,
where colonisers exploited the nation’s raw materials and natural resources, the country had
largely depended on developed nations for any kind of new technology.
But with changing global order and especially the COVID-19 pandemic has made countries
renovate and invest more in their natively built technologies. Even though indigenous
technology always existed, India never invested heavily in it and mostly depended on exports
but now there is a shift towards homegrown products and indigenous technology.
Defence
India’s defence is a key and important sector that requires the development and production of
defence equipment within the country to achieve self-reliance and reduction of the burden of
imports. India’s geographic position and historical conflicts with neighbours like China and
Pakistan make it immensely necessary to strategically strengthen its military strength with the
help of indigenous technology. The country also spends around 3% of its GDP on defence out
of which 60% is spent on imports, hence, from an economic point of view as well it is
important to indigenize the sector.
Health
India is the most populous nation with more than 1.4 billion people. Therefore, health is a
very critical aspect of the country’s overall development. According to World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates, India needs a minimum of 600,000 more doctors and 2
million more nurses to provide adequate medical care to its large population. Especially,
during the COVID-19, when there was a need for emergency supplies in all countries,
healthcare management became almost impossible in the country. Companies and various
Non-Governement Organizations came up with various indigenous tools and equipment like
PPE kits, masks, devices and other equipment.
Education
The growing technology and emerging rise in the Ed-tech companies around the country is
symbolic of the upsurge in indigenous models in the field of education in the country.
Globally, the growing demand for digital offerings, certificate courses, virtual exams and
online programmes has made education a level playing field irrespective of geographical
boundaries, The rise in indigenous technology can also help promote regional education,
local languages, cultural and folk-knowledge based on the country’s knowledge system that
can help in building glocal citizens.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the primary sector in India’s economy where a large number of farmers and
families depend for their livelihood. But agricultural producers earn the least in the country
among the three sectors, the others being the industry and service sectors. To empower Indian
farmers indigenous technology can be utilised to develop cheaper and affordable technologies
for farm activities like pest control, sowing, harvest and crop protection.
E-Commerce
Citizens in today's time are highly dependent on online platforms and e-commerce starting
from groceries, food, medicines, body care, hygiene products and many more. Various
platforms and companies have emerged for payment gateways and delivery systems
increasing employment opportunities and reducing direct contact business.
HISTORY
Indigenous technology is not new to India. Since ancient ages, various techniques and
practices that evolved in India are now part of the modern era. Since Independence, India has
been heavily dependent upon imports of technology from other countries. According to the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India was the world’s
second-largest importer of major arms in 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5% of the global arms
import due to which India’s military expenditure rose by 3.1%. The Comptroller and
Auditor-General (C&AG) of India in a 2011 report to Parliament indicated that 90%
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has a 90% import dependency for raw materials and
bought-out items for the production of indigenous equipment. The Indigenization of the
defence sector was the most significant one after decades-long dependency on the Soviet
Union. In 1983 the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was
initiated by the Government of India to develop five missile systems: Prithvi, Akash, Trishul,
Nag and Agni. INS Vikrant also became India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier which was
launched in the year 2013.
In 1967, ISRO launched India’s first indigenously developed rocket RH-75 (Rohini-75). The
Aryabhatta spacecraft was India’s first satellite which was completely designed and
fabricated in India and launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket on 19th April 1975. The
indigenously built satellite was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
A major milestone was achieved in the 1970s when for the first time indigenous Oral Polio
Vaccine trivalent (Sabin) was developed and produced in India. Since then India committed
itself towards polio eradication and finally achieved it in 2014. India has also developed
various indigenously built vaccines against measles, smallpox and other diseases. Aadhar
launched by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is the world’s largest
digital identity programme that provides biometric and demographic-based unique digital
identity that can be authenticated anytime, anywhere and also eliminates duplicate & fake
identities.
The BrahMos Missile also played a significant role in the Indigenous Defence Technology of
India. This missile was developed in 1998 by a joint venture between India and Russia
deriving its name from the rivers Brahmaputra River, India and Moskva River Russia.
BrahMos is one of the most versatile missiles in India as it can be launched from various
platforms like ships, submarines, and aircraft to land-based mobile launchers. Lastly,
BrahMos’s success has opened venues for the export of missiles and to generate revenue at
the same time showing India's collaboration ability internationally while simultaneously
expanding indigenous capabilities.
CURRENT SCENARIO
The Government of India also declared the National Science Day 2024 theme as ‘Indigenous
Technology for Vikshit Bharat’ highlighting and reaffirming the importance of home-grown
technologies.
COVID-19 and the Aftermath
Technology has enabled India to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were not
even conceivable some decades back. Necessity is indeed the mother of all inventions, hence,
with the growing demand for goods and services while the world was disconnected and
locked down, homegrown technologies took a front step. Indigenous medical equipment
creation, start-up development, evolution of e-commerce platforms, digital payment
interfaces and alternative energy facilities steadily skyrocketed during this time. The
pandemic also saw the development of COVAXIN- India’s first indigenously prepared
COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech. Within two years of the pandemic, India was able to
prepare four vaccines which included the world’s first DNA vaccine: ZyCoV-D and the
world’s first mRNA vaccine: GEMCOVAC-19. India also opened its door to diplomacy by
donating its indigenously made vaccines to various countries in their time of need.
Government Schemes and Policies
● India Stack is a digital infrastructure through which the government is trying to enable
the ease of doing business by bringing business platforms together in one place. India
Stack and JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile) have built large databases for
beneficiaries of welfare schemes like Ujjwala Yojana, Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna
and Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. This has promoted Direct Benefit Transfers for
beneficiaries of various government schemes promoting transparency, accountability
and corruption-free delivery of benefits.
● United Payments Interface (UPI) and Immediate Payment Services (IMPS) through
the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model have enabled Indian citizens to make
payments through their mobile phones in just six seconds, 24 hours a day. Various
new Indian companies are enabling people to make payments for essentials and
utilities without cash and movement outside. Currently, overseas markets accepting
Indian-made UPI include Singapore, UAE, France, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UK, Mauritius,
Malaysia and Bhutan.
● The Make in India initiative of the Indian Government in the defence sector has
strengthened India’s military might and increased its self-reliance which has resulted
in the growth of startups and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Recently, India tested an Agni-V missile equipped with Multiple Independently
Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology. Some key projects under the
indigenization of the defence sector include BrahMos, Pinaka Mk-I, and HELINA.
● The Department of Science & Technology (DST), GOI has launched many schemes
under the Technology Development Programme (TDP) to promote R&D towards
indigenous technologies, such as the Science & Heritage Research Initiative (SHRI),
Waste Management Technologies (WMT) Programme, Advanced Manufacturing
Technology (AMT) Programme, Biomedical Device and Technology Development
(BDTD) and Device Development Programme (DDP).
● Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is implementing an All India
Network Programme on Organic Farming (AI-NTOF) for Organic Indigenous
Technical Knowledge (ITK), efforts are being made to develop indigenous animal
breeds, vaccines, kits for disease diagnostics, detection of adulterants in milk and
various indigenous technologies for breeding and seed production of
finfish/shellfishes. The National Agriculture Research System has developed 1014
indigenous varieties of cereals, pulses, oil seeds, fibre crops, forage crops and
sugarcane.
Challenge to Indigenous Technology
The major challenge that the Indigenization of technology faces in India is overarching due to
the lack of a proper policy framework. Even though, in the past India has built various
indigenous technologies the budget of imports from other nations has never significantly
reduced. The limitation is also due to the lack of a comprehensive body or organization for
the promotion and protection of Indigenous technology. The lack of financial flexibility and
procedural accuracy along with the absence of R&D in various fields also limits the
indigenization of technology. Last but not least, the politicisation of indigenous technologies
at the behest of hyper-nationalism can sometimes affect the efficiency and quality of
technological development.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Policy Suggestions:
● Indigenous technology can be promoted through the Public Private Partnership (PPP)
model where both public and private sectors should be encouraged to allocate funds
towards research and development initiatives in fields like IT, biotechnology,
renewable energy, automobile and manufacturing.
● Enhancing the education system by focusing on multidisciplinary education under the
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Vocational training programs for skill
development will contribute to technological innovations leading to more indigenous
technologies.
● The development of an enabling environment for start-ups and entrepreneurs by
reducing regulations, and access to finance and incubation facilities. The state shall
promote the establishment of technological parks as well as innovation clusters that
foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
● The government shall also promote local goods and cultural heritage of India through
the help of Geographical Indications (GI) tags and exhibitions to encourage and
empower the indigenous identity and culture of India and help it grow as an industry.
Textiles, block-printing, paintings, artefact work, etc can be used to empower local
technologies.
● The inclusion of indigenous farming tools and techniques can help in achieving
sustainable methods of farming that will in turn reduce Greenhouse effect, pollution,
land degradation and crop failures.
SUGGESTED MODERATED CAUCUS
1. Discussing the role of indigenous technology towards National Development.
2. Discussing the scope of indigenous technology in the agricultural field.
3. Discussing the rise and challenges to India’s ed-tech industry.
4. Analysing the challenges to building indigenous technology infrastructure.
5. Discussing the role of state intervention in building natively built technology in India.
6. Examining Artificial Intelligence in bridging traditions and technology in India.
7. Examining the change in technological demands in the post-pandemic era.
8. Analysing the role of indigenous technology in developing vaccines in the COVID-19
pandemic.
9. Examining the importance of indigenous military equipment towards India’s defence
infrastructure.
10. Deliberating the role of natively built technology in developing India’s healthcare
system.
RESEARCH LINKS
(Note: Delegates, some of the links are only meant for light reading and thus are not
highlighted, only refer to the highlighted sources as valid proof as others may or may not be
accepted as a source of proof in the Council. The decision of the Presiding Officer regarding
the acceptable sources are Final and Binding.)
1. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blchangemakers/getting-indias-digital-frame-t
o-stack-up/article31020908.ece
2. https://hbr.org/2019/05/the-ups-and-downs-of-indias-digital-transformation
3. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/digital-in
dia-technology-to-transform-a-connected-nation
4. https://www.mygov.in/5years/index.html
5. https://www.livemint.com/Politics/ZRbi2x5IaxrDhHU65m2gOK/How-Aadhaar-plugs
-leakages-in-PDS-and-LPG-subsidy-transfer.html
6. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/india-has-building-blocks-for-suc
cessful-rollout-of-digital-government-transfers-report/
7. https://dbtbharat.gov.in/
8. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/aarogya-setu-has-50-million-users-in-13-
days-beats-pokemon-go-record/story-4Q25vLRuezSuzPA8jboLEL.html
9. https://www.indiaretailing.com/2020/06/22/retail/e-commerce-and-contactless-payme
nts-will-see-unprecedented-push-post-covid19/
10. https://ruralmarketing.in/industry/technology/covid-19-how-agritech-start-ups-can-hel
p-farming-in-the-hour-of-crisis
11. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/how-countries-are-using-edtech-to-
support-remote-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic
12. https://www.livemint.com/industry/telecom/indians-consume-over-11gb-data-per-mon
th-report-11582802282339.html
13. https://news.abplive.com/science/national-science-day-2024-theme-indigenous-techno
logies-for-viksit-bharat-union-science-technology-minister-jitendra-singh-1662415
14. https://theprint.in/economy/ease-of-doing-business-india-still-has-1536-acts-69233-co
mpliances-for-firms-to-follow/456867/
15. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/through-indiaai-we-will-develop-in
digenous-ai-foundational-models-rajeev-chandrasekhar-12439011.html
16. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/indian-army-to-showcase-made-i
n-india-weapons-and-platforms-at-republic-day-parade/articleshow/106804570.cms?f
rom=mdr
17. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/developing-indigenous-technologies-to-conf
ront-security-challenges-imperative-army-chief/article37377695.ece
18. https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/171/AU5696.pdf?source=pqals#:~:t
ext=Some%20of%20the%20indigenous%20technologies,Source%20based%20Confo
cal%20Microscope%20etc.
19. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/03/indias-first-homegrown-covid-vaccine-wins-who-e
mergency-use-listing-.html
20. https://science.thewire.in/the-sciences/how-pseudoscience-has-seeped-into-indian-aca
demia/
