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India Gazette
28-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
NITI Aayog organises consultative meeting on ease of doing research and development in Lucknow
New Delhi [India], May 28 (ANI): A two-day consultative meeting was held at the Raj Bhawan (Governor House), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on May 27 - 28, under the Chairpersonship of the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel, and Dr V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, a release said on Wednesday. The meeting brought together Vice Chancellors of Universities, Directors of leading research laboratories, and Heads of various Research Institutions under the major scientific Central Government Ministries/ Departments for an in-depth dialogue on strengthening India's Research and Development (R&D) ecosystem. The event was graced by the presence of Anandiben Patel, Governor of Uttar Pradesh; Dr V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR & Secretary, DSIR; Dr Sudhir M. Bobde, Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh; Prof. Vinod Kumar Singh, President, The National Academy of Sciences, India; and other distinguished dignitaries from various scientific ministries and departments. The meeting witnessed participation from over 50 laboratories, research institutions, and universities, reflecting an inclusive representation from India's scientific and academic community. In her address, the Governor emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts between academia, government, and industry to unlock the country's full scientific and technological potential. Dr V K Saraswat reiterated the commitment of NITI Aayog to enabling structural reforms and creating a more agile, innovation-friendly policy environment. Prof. Vivek Kumar Singh, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog, presented details of the comprehensive exercise on 'Ease of Doing R&D' being taken up by NITI Aayog. The discussions focused on identifying systemic challenges impeding the growth of a robust research culture in India. Participants raised critical issues, including the highly bureaucratic nature of the R&D approval system. Concerns were also expressed over the low national expenditure on R&D, delays in fund disbursals, and procurement bottlenecks in acquiring specialized scientific equipment. The lack of private sector engagement in research, along with time-consuming ethical and regulatory clearances, was highlighted as further impediments to scientific progress. Stakeholders pointed to the ongoing brain drain, driven by better career prospects, infrastructure, and funding opportunities abroad. To address these systemic challenges, NITI Aayog is undertaking a comprehensive exercise to identify and resolve key barriers within the Indian R&D landscape, with a particular focus on government-funded institutions and laboratories. This initiative aims to streamline processes, improve fund flow mechanisms, enhance accountability, and create an enabling environment that fosters innovation and collaboration. The meeting concluded with a shared understanding of the urgency of reform and the need to develop actionable strategies to overcome these persistent challenges. Recommendations and insights from this consultation will be compiled and actionable insights will be brought out for corrective actions. (ANI)
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
NITI Aayog releases report offering roadmap for transforming medium enterprises into India's growth engines
New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): NITI Aayog on Monday released a report titled 'Designing a Policy for Medium Enterprises', offering a comprehensive roadmap for transforming medium enterprises into future growth engines of India's economy. The report highlights the critical, yet under-leveraged role played by medium enterprises and outlines targeted interventions to unlock their full potential. The report was launched by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery in the presence of VK Saraswat and Arvind Virmani, members NITI Aayog. The report delves into the structural skew in the MSME sector, which contributes approximately 29 per cent to India's GDP, accounts for 40 per cent of exports, and employs over 60 per cent of the workforce. Despite its critical role, the composition of the sector is disproportionately weighted: 97 per cent of registered MSMEs are micro enterprises, 2.7 per cent are small, and only 0.3 per cent are medium enterprises. However, this 0.3 per cent of medium enterprises contributes nearly 40 per cent of MSME exports, underscoring their untapped potential as scalable, innovation-led units. The report identifies medium enterprises as strategic actors in India's transition towards self-reliance and global industrial competitiveness under Viksit Bharat @2047. The report underscores key challenges faced by medium enterprises, including constrained access to tailored financial products, limited adoption of advanced technologies, inadequate R&D support, lack of sectoral testing infrastructure, and a mismatch between training programmes and enterprise needs. These limitations hinder their ability to scale and innovate. To address these issues, the report outlines a comprehensive policy framework with targeted interventions across six priority areas: Tailored Financial Solutions: Introduction of a working capital financing scheme linked to enterprise turnover; a Rs 5 crore credit card facility at market rates; and expedited fund disbursal mechanisms through retail banks, overseen by the Ministry of MSME. Technology Integration and Industry 4.0: Upgradation of existing Technology Centres into sector-specific and regionally customised India SME 4.0 Competence Centres to promote the adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions. R&D Promotion Mechanism: Establishment of a dedicated R&D cell within the Ministry of MSME, leveraging the Self-Reliant India Fund for cluster-based projects of national significance. Cluster-Based Testing Infrastructure: Development of sector-focused testing and certification facilities to ease compliance and enhance product quality. Custom Skill Development: Alignment of skilling programmes with enterprise-specific needs by region and sector, and integration of medium enterprise-centric modules into existing Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programmes (ESDP). Centralised Digital Portal: Creation of a dedicated sub-portal within the Udyam platform featuring scheme discovery tools, compliance support, and AI-based assistance to help enterprises navigate resources effectively. The report emphasises that unlocking the potential of medium enterprises requires a shift toward inclusive policy design and collaborative governance. With strategic support in finance, technology, infrastructure, skilling, and information access, medium enterprises can emerge as the drivers of innovation, employment, and export growth. This transformation is pivotal to realising the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. (ANI)
NDTV
25-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
India's Astronauts Vs Pakistan's Terrorists: A Tale of Two National Visions
New Delhi: As India prepares to send an astronaut into space, the contrast with its western neighbour could not be more stark. While India trains scientists and astronauts to explore the cosmos, state-sponsored terror continues to operate undeterred in Pakistan, Dr VK Saraswat, former Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and current member of NITI Aayog told NDTV. "It's a glaring example of the psychology of our adversary. While India has always focused on training its people for peaceful exploration of space, Pakistan has, unfortunately, chosen a path of fostering terrorism," Dr Saraswat said. His remarks come a month after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam left 26 civilians dead. India then began Operation Sindoor on May 7 with air strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "Our space program is globally recognised for achieving excellence at the lowest cost," Dr Saraswat emphasised. "It's a testament to India's commitment to peaceful progress and technological innovation." India's space journey began with Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's historic flight to space in 1984 and advanced to remarkable missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan. India is also planning its own space station and deep space missions, all aimed at advancing scientific knowledge and benefiting humanity. Next month, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is scheduled to travel to the International Space Station, marking another proud moment for India's space ambitions. Further, Indian Space Research Organisation's Gaganyaan mission aims to send Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit aboard an indigenous spacecraft. Contrasting with the advancements with the situation across the border, Dr Saraswat said Pakistan should leverage technology to better people's lives. "Terrorism is an anathema to social structure. It should be detested and removed. Instead of creating chaos, Pakistan should focus on science and technology for the betterment of its people," he said. With the motive of the betterment of people, Dr Saraswat suggested that India is open to collaboration with its neighbour in the space sector. "If Pakistan wants to work with us, we can even consider a joint space program. We're willing to share technologies that can uplift their population," he said. As India prepares to launch its next astronaut, its message and vision is clear - peace, progress, and prosperity through science.
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'Operation Sindoor' a bold signal of India's defence strength and self-reliance: Saraswat
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 'Operation Sindoor' has sent a clear message to the world that India shall never be underestimated and that the country is a leading force now, according to Dr V K Saraswat, former Director General of the DRDO. The military offensive, a retaliation on terror launch pads in Pakistan and PoK in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 persons dead, also highlights the self-reliance India has built in defence technology, the former chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told PTI Videos. Saraswat, who played a key role in the development of India's missile and air defence systems, said that through 'Operation Sindoor', India has shown it is self-reliant and has the capacity and capability to counter any threat from any direction. "The precision with which we were able to reach the targets in the enemy's territory shows the quality of our weapons. The greatest thing today is, other than the S400 that was taken from Russia, I think all the missiles LRSAM, MRSAM, Akash and all the drones, all the fighter aircraft, everything, are indigenously produced in the country-- designed, developed and manufactured," Saraswat said. The Akash, MRSAM (Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile), and LRSAM (Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile) are key components of India's multi-layered air defence system. The NITI Aayog member recalled how the restrictions imposed on India by the international community under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) turned out to be an opportunity for the country to develop indigenous technologies and components for its weapon systems. "We have done the development of all our missile systems, whether they are air-defence systems, or strategic missiles, ballistic missile defence systems or long range ballistic missiles like Agni, Prithvi-- and all of them have been developed under, what is called the MTCRs. So every step, we had to face challenges of non-availability of support from the international community," Saraswat added. He said India was deprived of materials, components, and technologies that the country wanted to develop its missile systems. "We were not part of the MTCR, so even our own very good friends were not giving us technology," he said. Saraswat recalled how DRDO, under the leadership of former President, the late Dr Abdul Kalam, turned this into an opportunity for indigenous technology development.
