India needs to emulate small countries like Taiwan & Israel that have built focused and niche high-tech sectors, not obsess over China and its ambitious plans.
Technology titans, political figures and leaders in entertainment are driving another wave of exponential growth for the app, not only in the U.S. but also around the world.
Edtech in India gets a boost under Covid as old and new platforms claim massive user, revenue spurt. Report claims users doubled to 9 crore from 4.5 crore between 2019 and 2020.
Researchers studied brain activity and pupil dilation to discover that engaging with multiple digital media simultaneously led to an inability to recall events, even in young adults.
Google's attempt to bring its model of operation closer to Apple’s App Store and build a similar tightly controlled mobile environment has been thwarted. But for how long?
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Karnataka govt has developed 8 in-house apps as part of its pandemic management. IAS officer Munish Moudgil, the Covid War Room chief, has been at forefront of this effort.
Israel's response to Iran's retaliatory attack was relatively small and also downplayed by Tehran. But there are factors that could jeopardise this perceived reprieve.
The 125 APAs include 86 Unilateral APAs (UAPAs) and 39 Bilateral APAs (BAPAs). The total number of APAs since the start of the APA programme has risen to 641, with 506 UAPAs and 135 BAPAs.
With erratic power supply, potholed roads, overflowing sewage and garbage stink everywhere I don’t see much advantage in investing in development of 5G or smart TV’s. We have plenty of social and infrastructure problems, which must be prioritised first.
Read about the bacterium species Glutamicibacter arilaitensis with which CSIR scientists are experimenting with to help solve the problems of dry toilets in winter in the extremely cold regions of India. There was an article in the Print about this sometime ago.
I think it will make good sense for our nation if our top technical institutions work on
solving problems by creating/using technologies that can improve the quality of life in our villages and remote areas of India.
Think fields not products. Every sophisticated product today straddles multi-field expertise. Missing expertise even in one field is a big handicap when engineering a product.
For example, ability to making sophisticated cameras and other recording equipment or projecting equipment were possible because of understanding the field of optics well. Materials science and electrostatics expertise led to creation of the LCD display and it’s use in everyday electronic products like calculators, digital watches etc. That expertise continues into today’s smartphone displays.
Taiwan has significant volume of semiconductor manufacturing. This grew because companies could be fabless, simulate circuits and outsource printing and testing etc. Taiwan has achieved economies of scale.
The 6 sectors mentioned have large Indian consumer markets, but if you think about, who will be willing to buy the 1st or 1st million Indian made LED TVs? They will always be tech inferior or more expensive than LG etc.
Intel (the basis of silicon valley), grew from domestic defense and space contracts with Federal Govt. Government is actually able to pay premium for made at home tech, because of obvious strategic reasons.
We should carefully consider our initial set of sectors given our global strengths in IT (software engineering processes), pharma manufacturing etc.
The author seems to justify a nationalistic mindset to create indigenous technology stacks. Easier said then done. I say so because government initiatives in India in core technologies sector have never succeeded in the past. Only in the area of brick-and-mortar infrastructure have government investments yielded fruit – highways, airports, metros, ports, bridges,dams etc. And maybe some tech based services like Aadhaar and tax collections.
Remember the fate of the indigenous telecom switch by CDOT during the eighties and nineties? Also the supercomputing and nanotechnology initiatives of the eighties. As long as Rajiv Gandhi was alive there was political backing for these long haul initiatives. Though it’s been 30 years since, I am not of the belief that even with current generation of technologists a desi processor or desi 5G stack will see the light of the day through government initiatives.
A entrepreneur should be first concerned about making unique products and services and making profits out of such. Expecting private sector to do nation building in core technology for the nation is a wild idea. Every tech idea is essentially about making money and for tech ideas innovation is about being first to market with the idea and pre-empting competitors. No Indian entrepreneur would be excited about investing heavily to research something new and wasting his investment.
There is no OS or an application like say microsoft office (which has widespread use). All software companies are stuck with Windows OS which is closed source and develop applications only for that OS. The Govt has not encouraged the use of open source OSs or applications which alone can liberate us from the clutches of closed source OSs and bring about a real development of software.
Author downgrades private entrepreneurs and venture capitalists of cute app managed services. Remember that value creation even if incremental creates job and wealth opportunities. And also services led value yields taxes for the government. Without tax collection government will not have money to invest in Strategic technology areas.
But from a private entrepreneurship standpoint we entirely missed out on the hardware side ie cute electronics. That is where Taiwan and Korea started in the 80’s and gradually moved to where they are today. We are not even able to scratch the field of everyday electronics and it’s applications so how can we do the great jump to semiconductors and processors ?
As long as our research foundations in science and mathematics is weak, we cannot hope to create deep technology. Research in science and mathematics is long term but our brightest youngsters have a craze for engineering, they want quick high paying engineering jobs in robotics, computer science or AI. What today’s youngsters do not care to know is how much mathematics is behind AI technology. Somebody eventually has to invest the time to apply today’s knowledge of the sciences and exploit interdisciplinary opportunities to create tomorrow’s technology.
I enjoy your article and electrical engineer. My commens,
1, China progress, each industry have right experience CEO, with knowledge of this field.
2, Government companies, IAS officer is CEO, NO knowledge of industry.
3, Example, Indian standard for Electrical installation for Residential buildings as per Internation standards, followed in Europe and in the world.
There is NO Guide books. No training of Electricians and examination to get licences. THEY DO NOT KNOW RIGHT SELECTION WIRES AS PER CURRENT.
THERE WILL BE MORE SHOCK AND FIRE.
There is commite to develop IS, which is not updated 3 to 5 years. E.g. AFDD DEVICEis use to prevent fire in flat due to ARC. In USA, mandatory, in Europe recommend. THIS IS NOT IN INDIAN STANDARD.
4, Brtish Standard have guides, school, on line training and pass examination to electricians to get licences. UPDATE regularly.
5, We follow British Standard, BS7671:2018, Electrical installations in low voltage system to PREVENT SHOCK AND FIRE IN FUTURE.
6, MOST IMPORTANT, RIGHT CEO FOR RIGHT INDUSTRY WITH KNOWLEDGE OF INDUSTRY
All licenced electricians, electrical contractors have to clear the under the table examination. A graduate electrical engineer cannot get a licence except under the table.
Yes, very valid points raised. A recent example is the chest thumping over being the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world and supplying to other countries. But the fact is that the largest supplier has not created the vaccine. It is research done elsewhere and we are the workshop for production only. No innovation.
The author’s observation “…We just do not have the expertise or the intent to gain the expertise and implement the gamut of deep technology…”, sums up the situation very well.
Plight of Indian educated middle class which always dreams of India becoming a China:
Are we curious about how things work – No.
Do we become engineers or scientist because we thoroughly enjoy it – No.
Do we like to get dirty and work with our hands – No.
Do we understand the difficulty and indignity of physical labour in India – No.
Do we like to venture into unknown areas where risk of failure is high – No.
Do we try to copycat already existing business innovations – yes.
Do we like desk jobs – yes.
Do we want to get married quickly – yes.
Do we want to get children quickly – yes.
Do we like to climb the corporate or bureau cratic ladder -yes.
Do we want to get rich quickly – yes.
Read about the humble beginnings of Huawei in late 1980’s to where they are today. They can design their own mobile operating system and design their own processor! Our crony capitalists may have tried a few things but we just don’t seem to have the doggedness of the Orientals.
With erratic power supply, potholed roads, overflowing sewage and garbage stink everywhere I don’t see much advantage in investing in development of 5G or smart TV’s. We have plenty of social and infrastructure problems, which must be prioritised first.
Read about the bacterium species Glutamicibacter arilaitensis with which CSIR scientists are experimenting with to help solve the problems of dry toilets in winter in the extremely cold regions of India. There was an article in the Print about this sometime ago.
I think it will make good sense for our nation if our top technical institutions work on
solving problems by creating/using technologies that can improve the quality of life in our villages and remote areas of India.
Think fields not products. Every sophisticated product today straddles multi-field expertise. Missing expertise even in one field is a big handicap when engineering a product.
For example, ability to making sophisticated cameras and other recording equipment or projecting equipment were possible because of understanding the field of optics well. Materials science and electrostatics expertise led to creation of the LCD display and it’s use in everyday electronic products like calculators, digital watches etc. That expertise continues into today’s smartphone displays.
Hi!
Well written article.
Taiwan has significant volume of semiconductor manufacturing. This grew because companies could be fabless, simulate circuits and outsource printing and testing etc. Taiwan has achieved economies of scale.
The 6 sectors mentioned have large Indian consumer markets, but if you think about, who will be willing to buy the 1st or 1st million Indian made LED TVs? They will always be tech inferior or more expensive than LG etc.
Intel (the basis of silicon valley), grew from domestic defense and space contracts with Federal Govt. Government is actually able to pay premium for made at home tech, because of obvious strategic reasons.
We should carefully consider our initial set of sectors given our global strengths in IT (software engineering processes), pharma manufacturing etc.
Thank you
The author seems to justify a nationalistic mindset to create indigenous technology stacks. Easier said then done. I say so because government initiatives in India in core technologies sector have never succeeded in the past. Only in the area of brick-and-mortar infrastructure have government investments yielded fruit – highways, airports, metros, ports, bridges,dams etc. And maybe some tech based services like Aadhaar and tax collections.
Remember the fate of the indigenous telecom switch by CDOT during the eighties and nineties? Also the supercomputing and nanotechnology initiatives of the eighties. As long as Rajiv Gandhi was alive there was political backing for these long haul initiatives. Though it’s been 30 years since, I am not of the belief that even with current generation of technologists a desi processor or desi 5G stack will see the light of the day through government initiatives.
A entrepreneur should be first concerned about making unique products and services and making profits out of such. Expecting private sector to do nation building in core technology for the nation is a wild idea. Every tech idea is essentially about making money and for tech ideas innovation is about being first to market with the idea and pre-empting competitors. No Indian entrepreneur would be excited about investing heavily to research something new and wasting his investment.
There is no OS or an application like say microsoft office (which has widespread use). All software companies are stuck with Windows OS which is closed source and develop applications only for that OS. The Govt has not encouraged the use of open source OSs or applications which alone can liberate us from the clutches of closed source OSs and bring about a real development of software.
Vinayak, who’s the iit professor?
Author downgrades private entrepreneurs and venture capitalists of cute app managed services. Remember that value creation even if incremental creates job and wealth opportunities. And also services led value yields taxes for the government. Without tax collection government will not have money to invest in Strategic technology areas.
But from a private entrepreneurship standpoint we entirely missed out on the hardware side ie cute electronics. That is where Taiwan and Korea started in the 80’s and gradually moved to where they are today. We are not even able to scratch the field of everyday electronics and it’s applications so how can we do the great jump to semiconductors and processors ?
As long as our research foundations in science and mathematics is weak, we cannot hope to create deep technology. Research in science and mathematics is long term but our brightest youngsters have a craze for engineering, they want quick high paying engineering jobs in robotics, computer science or AI. What today’s youngsters do not care to know is how much mathematics is behind AI technology. Somebody eventually has to invest the time to apply today’s knowledge of the sciences and exploit interdisciplinary opportunities to create tomorrow’s technology.
To add to the woes AICTE recently made mathematics optional for pursuing engineering.
very well written and argued.
I enjoy your article and electrical engineer. My commens,
1, China progress, each industry have right experience CEO, with knowledge of this field.
2, Government companies, IAS officer is CEO, NO knowledge of industry.
3, Example, Indian standard for Electrical installation for Residential buildings as per Internation standards, followed in Europe and in the world.
There is NO Guide books. No training of Electricians and examination to get licences. THEY DO NOT KNOW RIGHT SELECTION WIRES AS PER CURRENT.
THERE WILL BE MORE SHOCK AND FIRE.
There is commite to develop IS, which is not updated 3 to 5 years. E.g. AFDD DEVICEis use to prevent fire in flat due to ARC. In USA, mandatory, in Europe recommend. THIS IS NOT IN INDIAN STANDARD.
4, Brtish Standard have guides, school, on line training and pass examination to electricians to get licences. UPDATE regularly.
5, We follow British Standard, BS7671:2018, Electrical installations in low voltage system to PREVENT SHOCK AND FIRE IN FUTURE.
6, MOST IMPORTANT, RIGHT CEO FOR RIGHT INDUSTRY WITH KNOWLEDGE OF INDUSTRY
Gajaria.
All licenced electricians, electrical contractors have to clear the under the table examination. A graduate electrical engineer cannot get a licence except under the table.
Yes, very valid points raised. A recent example is the chest thumping over being the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world and supplying to other countries. But the fact is that the largest supplier has not created the vaccine. It is research done elsewhere and we are the workshop for production only. No innovation.
The author’s observation “…We just do not have the expertise or the intent to gain the expertise and implement the gamut of deep technology…”, sums up the situation very well.
Plight of Indian educated middle class which always dreams of India becoming a China:
Are we curious about how things work – No.
Do we become engineers or scientist because we thoroughly enjoy it – No.
Do we like to get dirty and work with our hands – No.
Do we understand the difficulty and indignity of physical labour in India – No.
Do we like to venture into unknown areas where risk of failure is high – No.
Do we try to copycat already existing business innovations – yes.
Do we like desk jobs – yes.
Do we want to get married quickly – yes.
Do we want to get children quickly – yes.
Do we like to climb the corporate or bureau cratic ladder -yes.
Do we want to get rich quickly – yes.
Well said!
Read about the humble beginnings of Huawei in late 1980’s to where they are today. They can design their own mobile operating system and design their own processor! Our crony capitalists may have tried a few things but we just don’t seem to have the doggedness of the Orientals.