Problems which are impediments to the success of technological research in India- Essay, UPSC MAINS | Course for UPPSC Preparation - UPPSC (UP) PDF Download

Problems which are impediments to the success of technological research in India are many

structure

(1) Opening    —    Beginning of technological research in India.

(2) Body    —    CSIR with the main burden of technological research.

    —    Distinctiveness of techno- logical research.

    —    Giants of scientific research are not giants of technological research.

    —    Project-oriented research for development of a technology.

    —    Duplication of effort.

    —    Engineering support: A must.

    —    Industry and technological 

research.

    —    Source of technology in Ind- ia and developed countries.

    —    Liberalisation policy and its possible effect on our technological research.

    —    Political will.

(3) Closing    —    There is need to have our fingers on everything on earth.

After independence in 1947, we gave due attention in creating an appropriate infrastructure for research for the attainment of scientific and technological progress with the goal of self-reliance in view. A large number of research institutes and national laboratories in different disciplines and with diverse functions were established by the Government of India under different agencies. A few of these, namely, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Research Fund Association [now renamed as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)] inherited in rudimentary form from the British power, were strengthened and developed.

At present, we spend more than Rs 12,322.28 crore in 2018-19 or about 0.7 per cent of the GNP on science and technology. Which focuses on scientific research. The government, particularly the Central Government including public sector companies, contributes the major share (about 90 per cent) of the national expenditure; the share of private industry is negligible. The USA invests about Rs 500,000 crores a year while Japan spends about Rs 310,000 crores; these work out five to six per cent of the GNP. In both these countries and also in many developed countries, a high percentage of the expenditure on science and technology comes from private industries. While developed countries contribute 95 per cent of the global expenditure on science and technology, the share of India constitutes about 0.5 per cent.

It goes without saying that compared to the USA and many developed countries, we spend a small amount of money on science and technology. But, for a  country like India Rs 12322 crores a year is not an insignificant amount and should be judiciously spent.

After independence the massive developmental activities and industrial growth of our country were based, quite rightly, on imported technology. But after 70 years one expects that the infrastructure and facilities we have now, would contribute substantially to our technological self-reliance. However, our expectation have been belied and we are going for the import of technologies from potato-chips to the modernisation of steel plants and motorcars and including repetitive ones. But all the technologies we import at present have been developed elsewhere during the last three-four decades only. At least, the technologies we imported during the early days for national development should have been assimilated, absorbed and adapted through technological research and developmental work. Unfortunately this did not happen either in the public sector or in the private sector.

In the post-independence period, the Central Government established a number of departments: Departments of Atomic Energy (1954), Defence Research and Development Organisation (1958), Space (1972), Environment (1980), Ocean Development (1981), Non-conventional Energy Sources (1982), Bio-technology (1986), and Science and Technology. These departments (except DST) have very specific areas for Research and Development (R&D). It was and is left to the CSIR to carry out technological research and provide R&D to all the industries. To indicate their vastness and diversity, a few groups of industries are mentioned: aeronautics, metallurgy, mining, fuel, chemicals and electrochemical, drugs, glass and ceramics, building, road and food. With such huge responsibility in diverse fields, the CSIR only gets about 20 per cent of the expenditures by the major scientific agencies under the Central Government.

Limitation of fund is one of the factors which stand in the way of the CSIR carrying out the national tasks assigned to it.

But the tragedy is: the public has a high expectation from the CSIR which consumes only 20 per cent of the fund.

However, it will not be fair to the CSIR if we fail to mention that despite various constraints, its technologies which have been commercialised generate substantial amount of money.

Scientific research is essentially person-oriented, the worthwhile outcome depending on his capability, dedication and single-mindedness. Techno-innovation and technological inventions also depend on the ingenuity of the researcher and is thus person-oriented. On the other hand, for scaling up the operation of a new technological invention or for any adaptive research, the success depends on (i) prior decision vis-a-vis national or social requirements or commercial applicability, and (ii) the work of a team with virile leadership; such research is no longer person-oriented.

It may sound provocative but it would be fair to say that our leaders of science are men of eminence in basic science but have poor understanding of the intricacies of technological and industrial research. There is a total lack of realisation that technological research has its own peculiarities and its management is quite different from that of scientific research.

The fact that the Science Policy Resolution (SPR) of March 1958 does not lay any emphasis on technological research is only a manifestation of the above reality.

It is no wonder that it took another three decades or so for the government to formulate its Technological Policy Statement.

The founding fathers or scientific and industrial research in independent India were also indifferent to the necessity of a link between the newly built research institutions and private and public sector industries or user’s Ministries. It is necessary to have an institutionalised link and not simply wishful jargons and resolutions. Private or public sector industries should have been forced to utilise the research facilities to build up technological self-reliance. The then leaders of science had the authority to push the matter with the political leadership of the country and the condition of the country was ripe to accept such a policy.

From various considerations, it is too late now to have such a policy.

Technological research in the CSIR institutes and perhaps also in many other institutes is organised in the same manner as scientific research, and is discipline-wise more suitable for scientific (basic) research work. But it should be mainly on well-defined programmes as identified jointly by the industry and a research institute, with a time-frame and definite goal which may ultimately form a part of our development work (this is ordinarily known as project-oriented research). Different disciplines necessary for the project should be associated with it. A project may also be identified by the government with a social or a national aim in view. This requires a new type of management system. Lack of understanding of the R&D management has proved disastrous for the development of worthwhile indigenous capability.

Alongwith project-oriented research a research scientist should be allowed to tread new grounds selected on his own understanding and such a programme should have an ultimate technological content or be related to the development of a technology. This type of activity should be considered equally important as project-oriented research. The activity in the long run may take the form of a project.

The style of working and the organisational setup of our technological research institutes did not change in any substantive manner since the dates of their establishment. Two high-powered committees, namely, the Sarkar Committee and the Abid Hussain Committee, were formed with the purpose of going into the working of the CSIR and making appropriate recommendations. The recommendations made were cosmetic in nature. Despite correct diagnosis of the ailment, the Abid Hussain Committee failed to recommend correct solutions. The essential matter of forging a link with the industry and a change in government policy to make our country self-reliant in specific areas was completely bypassed; only a few superficial recommendations were made.

Subsequently leaders of science were apparently indifferent to the basic issue of our technological research and failed to propose any thing substantive.

The CSIR laboratories thus continue to be moribund with an apathetic industry. The new liberalisation policy would make these laboratories eventually completely redundant and without any social function and aim.

A close look at the list of our National Research Institutes would show that there is an unnecessary duplication of effort in many instances. There is duplication of effort under the same agency and under different agencies.

Most of our technological research work ends in study on a laboratory scale and there is little appreciation of the engineering aspect of work. Laboratory scale of work is just the starting point and cannot stop there. For upscaling to an appropriate level, engineering service cannot and should not be avoided; it is of primary importance. Association of different engineering disciplines (depending upon the technology) is a must. An engineer forms an integral component of the team for the development of a technology. Yet till now, the scientists at the helm of the management seldom realise this necessity. Again this is due to their background of research of basic science.

There are certain areas such as designing, techno-innovation and instrumentation where research is based on engineering knowledge alone. This is well accepted but quite often we forget the necessity of an engineer in upscaling and in the development of a technology.

Our industry does not contribute to technological research in any substantial way, nor has it any demand on the research facilities we have.

Let us take the case of the Tatas. It is a very progressive concern. It has contributed and still contributes substantially to research efforts mostly confined to basic research. But its contribution to the development of technology related to its own field, that is, metallurgy of iron and steel, is only marginal. Even at present, it goes on scouting in advanced countries for modernisation and new technology.

The Birlas were the first to establish the automobile industry in India with foreign technology of the UK about 70 years ago. But what has it done to adapt, assimilate and improve upon the imported technology? Again the answer is essentially a big zero.

Our industry is “genetically” impotent so far as development or improvement of a technology through research is concerned. Herein lies the difference between the industry of advanced countries and that of a developing country.

With such an indifferent, if not hostile, industry, the technological research of our national laboratories becomes rootless and finds no takers. The CSIR and its laboratories are always blamed for this. Unfortunately till today, the link of our research system with the industry is almost absent. 

Development of technology in the advanced countries of Europe started with the Industrial Revolution. In the absence of anything to full back upon, the industry of these countries developed their own technologies for commercial exploitation utilising the advancement in scientific knowledge and patents available. Subsequently the USA and Japan joined the system. The same tradition still persists. But India which is a latecomer in the field has ready technology to import from advanced countries and both the industries of private and public sectors have taken the right and obvious step at the initial stage of development: harnessing the experiences of advanced countries through import of their technology.

Secondly, in advanced countries if an industry considers a technological research carried out in an institute sufficiently promising commercially, it would take up the process, up-scale the same and go into production.

There is an unwritten division of functions between research institutes and the industry of these countries. Of course, the industry also depends on its own scientific and technological research for commercial utilisation.

But in our country, the industry has no such tradition and is also reluctant to undertake such responsibility. This if an institute is to sell its technological research effort, it itself should upgrade the same and carry out the work necessary for upscaling from A to Z. In other words, a scientist or a technologist of a research institute of India has an exacting responsibility compared to his counterpart in the advanced countries. He will have to work out a process on a laboratory scale, arrange for funds and then the facilities necessary for upscaling, and finally find a client for the process.

Industries in developed countries have their own technology while in India technology has to be imported.

Political will is a necessary component for the success of technological research and the achievement of self-reliance. Shall we remain technologically backward or dependent on others perpetually? Shall we not try to have self-reliance at least in a few selected fields of technology? Shall we not see that a new technology developed by our scientists become commercially successful? Only political support can take us to the above goals.

This has happened in many other countries including advanced ones. In our country also this is a necessity in our national interest.

Incidentally it may be noted that Amul Baby Food, a product developed by the Central Food Technological Research Institute under the (CSIR), would not have had its success if it did not have the full support and protection of the Central Government.

Otherwise, let us redefine the aim of our effort on science and technology. If it is to provide scientific and technological manpower to solve the mini-problems due to transplantation of a foreign technology to our setting, let the political leadership and leaders of science spell it out in unambiguous terms. Or else, a hard line should be adopted to stop the continuous import of technology. The industry must take appropriate steps to adapt, assimilate and make further improvements on the imported technology. Let us decide once for all. Due to lack of political will and proper understanding of the R&D management even after years of practically free import of know-how, we are still at a stage which is nowhere near self-reliance.

The industry of our country does not make any effort to generate technology and is also indifferent and reluctant to utilise the facilities we have. Political will is also lacking to consider technological research indispensable for the generation of technology, development and self-reliance. Thus our technological research facilities lack appropriate management and organisational system for the generation of technology for development. These have become showpieces and are doing social service by providing jobs to a section of our scientific work-force. In such a situation, our institutes’ activities are bound to become moribund and confined to trouble-shooting jobs for the imported technology. The scientific community must raise its voice and force the government and industry to adopt a policy with the ultimate goal of self-reliance. The task is by no means easy particularly when the government had adopted a policy of liberalisation and the intellectual property rights of GATT are hanging over our head. Import of technological know-how is definitely admissible but not on a perpetual basis.

Simultaneously, our house of technological research should be set right in order to undertake and execute successfully the task assigned in future by the industry or the government. There is a limitation of funds; so duplication or diversification or diffusion of efforts should be avoided. Only tasks of importance with the commitment of utilisation either by the government or the industry should be selected and undertaken. There is need to have our fingers on everything on earth. We have a large number of academic and professional bodies in different fields and also non-governmental organisations to emphasise the effective use of science and technology for society and its progress. Many of our scientists including directors of research institutions who are also incharge of management of research have visited the research institutions of developed countries. One would like to share their experiences and observations on the management and organisation of technological research in those countries, and a discussion should be initiated to remove the malaise of our technological research and also on the policy of the government and industry. Otherwise the day is not far off when the people will put the scientific community on the dock.