The crossroads at which India finds itself today due to the ongoing pandemic reinforce the need for the country to grasp the true meaning of technology and to utilise it for maximum benefit.
Throughout history, technology has played a pivotal role in the development of the human race. Technology has been responsible for the rise and fall of civilizations, societies, and regional and world powers. The Industrial revolution which began in the 18th century in Europe accelerated the pace of technological change, which helped the European nations become dominant economic and political actors on the world stage. The transformation of the USA from primarily an agricultural nation to economic and military powerhouse in the early 20th century made the notion of progress synonymous with technological development. Achievements of Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China have further consolidated this notion.
Revisiting this history and interpreting it in Indian context is of paramount importance when we celebrate the National Technology Day (May 11) in the backdrop of the resolve of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the current pandemic. Before we deal with the subject, it is appropriate to develop a framework for an objective discussion.
Understanding Technology
Technology is a broad concept that refers to art, skills and applications (techno-) and the knowledge thereof (-logy), and its meaning has changed over the past two centuries. Its precursor is the 18th century German word, technologie, meaning the systematic description of handicraft and industrial arts. The word, ‘technology’, appeared in English language in 1910 and today it has acquired a very broad meaning that includes the complex systems of industrial products, tools, devices, processes, skills, ancillary systems, transportation, communication and the knowledge to use them in unison.
Science and technology are distinct bodies of knowledge, practice and purpose. Science aims to understand the world and the underlying laws of nature. These laws enable scientists to predict the outcome of an event from known starting conditions. The purpose of technology is to generate function and it works in the reverse direction. Given the function or the desired end outcome, the aim here is to come up with the starting conditions; these are initially unknown and are found using design and innovation processes. Science is a systematically organised body of knowledge. In contrast, technology relies on explicit and implicit knowledge; the latter is passed on by one-on-one interaction and is learnt through practical, hands-on experience. Reduction in risk and cost while increasing speed and effectiveness of technology is the work that comes under the ambit of engineering. Here, the focus is not on what is new, but on quality, reliability and cost of the product.
There are instances in history where technology appeared before science. For example, James Watt’s steam engine came before the laws of thermodynamics and Irvin Langmuir’s fascination for electronic components manufactured by General Electric led to the development of the field of surface science. However, since the second half of the 20thcentury, the trajectories of science and technology have profoundly influenced each other, and this interaction has enriched them both.
The Era of ‘Technoscience’
Today’s science is no longer the ‘natural science’ of the past, but is also focussed on the development of technologies by providing newer grounds for innovations and solving technical problems. Technology has benefited science by providing newer and powerful equipment for basic and applied research. In the 21st century, more and more technology is science based, and more and more science is technology based. Coming together of science and technology has enhanced the speed and power of technological change. Examples are the science based industries, e.g., semiconductors, computers, biotechnology, photonics, communication, etc. that are transforming human life at an unprecedented speed. This is the era of ‘Technoscience’, where technology and science are viewed as two sides of the same coin.
fuel and solar PV modules
Economists view technology from a different perspective. For them, technology is any new approach that produces things faster, better and cheaper. This definition is connected to the idea of technology-driven economic growth. Robert Solow showed in 1957 that technological progress contributed nearly 88% to the economic growth of the USA during 1909-1949. Our scientific policy resolution of 1958 also articulates a similar position. It states: “The key to the national prosperity lies in the effective combination of three factors: technology, raw materials and capital. The first is far more important since it can make up for the deficiency in the other two”.
Here, it is also pertinent to mention Eric Schatzberg’s classification of technology mindset as ‘instrumental’ and ‘cultural’. In the instrumental approach, technology is perceived as a narrow technical reality that is devoid of values, while in the cultural thinking, technology is thought of as a set of practices for transforming the material world and the practices involved in creating and using the material world. This classification provides a distinction between technology for the sake of technology and technology as an instrument of public good.
Technology Ecosystem in India
The framework developed above can now be used to discuss the technology ecosystem in India and how it can reorganise itself to realise Atmanirbhar Bharat. Note here that Atmanirbhar Bharat envisages not only self-reliant economic development but also includes ‘Make for the World’ dream.
First and foremost, consider the broad definition of technology. Technology is not a device or a product; it is much more than that. Take for example, the invention of the steam engine. As Paul Nightingale puts it, the shift from steam engine to Railways needed ancillary equipment (stations, yards, signal systems), specialised technical knowledge (engineering and telegraphy), standardisation of gauges, trained workforce, improvement in technical leverage and productivity, and changes in social distribution of risks and rewards. This integration makes a technology. It is possible for a country to excel in one or two aspects of this chain, however, the economic and social benefits will be compromised by its dependence on other countries.
This phenomenon is clearly witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic exposed the country’s over dependence on active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials from China. In 1991, India imported about 1% of APIs from China. This figure rose to 70% in 2019 amounting to about $2.4 billion. Disruption of this supply chain has not only affected availability of drugs in the country, but it has also dented India’s reputation as the Pharmacy of the World. Oxygen supply is another case study. According to experts, India produces enough oxygen, over 7000 tons/day, which is likely to increase to over 9000 tons/day. However, the country lacks sufficient transport and storage capacity. This is another example of the supply side disruption caused by the shortage of cryogenic tankers and cylinders.
Supply chain is a major issue in every other technology sector. Energy sector is heavily dependent on imports of oil and gas, uranium fuel and solar PV modules. India’s domestic module and cell manufacturing capacities stand at 10 GW and 3 GW respectively, which falls short of its annual requirements of 25 GW. Electronics manufacturing is constrained by supply chain and logistics. India is the fifth largest manufacturing country, but lags other countries in adaptation of I4.0 technologies. Industrial automation is heavily dependent on imports of hardware owing to the lack of semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Imports of robots have shown an annual growth rate of 24%. I4.0 technologies also need a supply of formally trained skilled workforce, which stands at meagre 5% in India. The data of 2019 says it all: China contributed 28.7% to the world manufacturing output while India’s share was 3.1%.
Filling In The Blanks
The key to Atmanirbhar Bharat is to fill these technological gaps on an urgent basis. This must be taken as a single point agenda for a couple of years. GoI has implemented the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in April 2020 to boost manufacturing in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronics and telecom, solar PVs, textile, automobiles and food processing etc. This scheme aims at cutting down India’s reliance on import. PLI scheme is already showing encouraging results. For example, pharma companies have initiated programmes on restarting API supply chain; mention may be made of Cipla’s ‘API re-imagination’ programme to expand its manufacturing capacity and reduce dependence. Electronic industry is gearing for semiconductor fabrication electronic manufacturing ecosystem. Coal India has incorporated CIL Solar PV for manufacturing in solar value chain: ingot to wafer to cell module.
Convergence of Academic Research and Technology
Academic community of India has a big role to play in the pursuit of self-reliant India. Worldwide, the close interaction between science and technology has accelerated technological growth. In India, however, the trajectories of academic research and technology development have hardly converged. India boasts a strong network of science and technology institutes, and the third largest science and technical manpower. One may wonder if such large trained manpower is directed to solve the problems of India, they will create enough knowledge for industries for technology development and improvement. Governments over the years have funded several key research programmes, however, the outcomes have been insignificant for technology development. A critical study of the handsomely funded programmes on nanotechnology and solar energy is needed to understand the flaws in this process. This retrospection will help in designing new mechanisms for strong participation of academic community in the mission of self-reliant India.
The technology landscape of India does carry a historical baggage. After independence, public sector and national laboratories were bestowed with the responsibility of technology development and implementation. This resulted in a large focus on a few narrow areas, which were considered strategic. Many of these entities got themselves trapped in the development of technologies which emerged as a fall out of the Cold War; several of them, as per Schatzberg’s classification, were ‘instrumental’.
The situation started changing only after the mid ’80s when information technology and biotechnology started growing outside the government laboratories. This expansion of technology space has helped technologies to grow faster. The number of startups in these areas is growing every day and many young people are participating in this march of self-reliance and ‘Make for the World’ mission. Contribution of some of these young innovators in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic may be found in an article, ‘Can coronavirus change Indian science for good?’ (Economic Times, 19.04.2020). Expanding the technology development space is unleashing the true potential of India.
Bill Anders, who was on board the Apollo 8 mission, made some caustic comments on NASA in his interview to BBC on December 24, 2018. He said, “They are ossified…. NASA has turned into a job programme… many of the centres are mainly interested in keeping busy and you don’t see the public support other than they get the workers their pay and their Congressmen get re-elected.” The use of the word ‘ossified’ is extremely important. There are sufficient lessons to learn from Bill Anders’ interview. These lessons will help our national labs to reimagine themselves for the cause of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Why Indigenous Technology is Important
We also need to understand the modes of acquisition of technology. A country can acquire a technology by trade, foreign direct investment, joint ventures or license from a foreign entity. In all these modes, the technology details are hidden and technology improvement is not possible. The most important mode is to develop an indigenous technology, which is done by an Indian entity through its own R&D or academia-industry collaboration. In this case the technology details are fully known, which offers the scope for full exploitation and upgradation. India needs to learn this if she aspires for the status of technologically empowered country. The success story of Covaxin, where Bharat Biotech and ICMR joined hands to produce an indigenous vaccine, is an example. Can hydrogen energy be the next one?
Technology development is a serious exercise and calls for respecting technology readiness levels and tight timelines. Technologists must remember the words of noted economist John Keynes, “In the long run, we are all dead”. No one can wait that long.
In 1924, Mahatma Gandhi said, “I am convinced that Swaraj cannot come so long as tens of millions of our brothers and sisters do not take to charkha, do not spin, do not make khadi and wear it”. We need this spirit today to win independence in technology. Included in this spirit are two things: participation of all and being vocal for locals.
*The writer is Professor, Department of Physics, IIT Bombay, and formerly Distinguished Scientist and Director, Chemistry group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
