New Delhi: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh credited the last 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for transforming science and technology into a core driver of India’s economic growth and global standing.
The Minister said that India has evolved from being a participant to a frontrunner in shaping the international scientific discourse.
“In the last decade, technology has not only enabled growth but also become central to governance, livelihoods, and innovation. From unlocking space and nuclear sectors to empowering grassroots science, India today is setting global benchmarks,” Dr Singh stated.
He emphasised that science-led governance and bold policy shifts have delivered exponential benefits across agriculture, education, climate resilience, and national security.
A prime example, he said, was the opening up of India’s space and atomic energy sectors to private and public innovation.
Highlighting India’s emergence as a global biotechnology hub, Dr Singh spotlighted the government’s BioE3 Policy, Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment, as a game-changer.
“With a conducive ecosystem and visionary leadership, India is poised to lead the global bioeconomy,” he said.
Dr Singh further stated: “There is rare political trust in science, and that has been the catalyst behind India’s rapid advances.”
The Minister listed key achievements, including the indigenous development of the world’s first DNA-based COVID vaccine, ongoing clinical trials for haemophilia therapy, and the Kisan BiokkAvch suit, a chemical-resistant protective gear for farmers.
He also revealed that Indian biotech kits will accompany astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla aboard the Axiom-4 space mission, marking India’s leap into space biology.
Dr Singh praised the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) for nurturing rural innovation through initiatives like the Purple Revolution and lavender farming in the Himalayan belt, creating new avenues for agri-entrepreneurship.
He also highlighted India’s diplomatic outreach in Earth Sciences, including the sharing of disaster and climate forecasts with neighbouring countries under the Neighbourhood First policy.
On deep-sea research, the Minister confirmed that the Samudrayaan mission remains on schedule, with the Matsya 6000 vehicle preparing for sea trials in 2026.
Under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the use of satellite and drone mapping in programs like the Soil Health Card and Swamitva Mission has empowered rural communities with real-time agricultural and property data.
“Today, our farmer is not dependent but decisive,” Dr. Singh remarked.
Meanwhile, Principal Scientific Advisor Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said science now lies at the core of India’s development story, while DST Secretary Dr Abhay Karandikar hailed the innovation pipeline from labs to startups. Earth Sciences Secretary Dr M Ravichandran pointed to significant improvements in weather forecast accuracy and real-time alerts, especially in the Delhi-NCR region.
CSIR DG Dr N Kalaiselvi emphasised the real-world impact of research across CSIR’s 37 laboratories, while DBT Secretary Dr Rajesh Gokhale reported milestones such as the development of seven vaccines, over 1,750 patent filings, and the scaling of India’s biotech economy to $165.7 billion.
With science firmly embedded in governance, Dr Singh concluded that India is no longer borrowing global best practices but exporting scalable, frugal innovations to the world.
