Journal: India is headed toward becoming a scientific superpower
The British scientific publication “Nature” claims that in addition to becoming a major economic force, India is more than prepared to advance into a scientific superpower.
The publication claims that India is one of the most productive nations in terms of research production in an editorial titled “How India can become a science powerhouse.” It has also outlined actions that India may take to assist in achieving that objective, including filling up budget shortfalls.
“Around 60% of India’s research spending can be traced to central and state governments and universities and around 40% of the private sector,” the statement reads, highlighting the country’s accomplishments in the pharmaceutical industry as well as its historic Chandrayaan mission. Similar countries often have much higher levels of support from the corporate sector.
The editorial opens with a reference to the Lok Sabha elections that started on Friday. It states that the victor will lead the fifth-largest economy in the world, which is expected to grow to the third position by 2030.
By the end of the decade, forecasts indicate that India’s economy might rise to become the third biggest in the world, behind only China and the United States. Not only is India a major economic force, but it is also poised to advance as a scientific superpower. Although it’s not a guarantee just yet, this is possible. A flourishing research system requires much more autonomy, according to researchers who spoke with the Nature news team. The editorial noted that fundamental research has been ignored by successive administrations.
The editorial, which was released on April 18, calls on the Indian government to increase funding for research by enticing companies to make larger contributions, as is the case in other developed nations.
“An opportunity to place rocket boosters under the nation’s impressive scientific achievements is there for the taking if policymakers and industrialists can get this right,” the journal states.
Indeed, there is a lot to work on. Government data indicates that in 2021–2022, India ranked third globally in terms of the volume of its pharmaceutical business and was the primary source of reasonably priced medications and generic treatments, some of which were essential in combating the global COVID-19 epidemic. India was the first nation to arrive close to the lunar south pole and the fourth nation overall to accomplish a soft moon landing last year. According to the editorial, it also has the biggest array of remote-sensing satellites in the world.
