Jai Anusandhan: While PM Modi bats for innovation, data reveals a sorry tale of India's research and development

While the prime minister has been pushing for new investments in research and innovation in the country, data suggest things are going otherwise

Marking India’s journey towards self-reliance in technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the country on the 76th Independence Day, gave the slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan (research, innovation). "Remember the mantra given by the former prime minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri: “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”. Later Atal Bihari Vajpayee added a link to it by saying 'Jai Vigyan'. But now there is another requirement for the Amrit Kaal: Jai Anusandhan. “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan,” he said.

The prime minister’s address is being hailed as a welcoming change by academics who have for long complained about the poor investment in the field of research and development by both by the public and private sectors. While the prime minister has been pushing for new investments in research and innovation in the country, data suggest things are going otherwise. India's gross expenditure on research and development (R&D) is one of the lowest in the world.

According to the NITI Aayog's India Innovation Index 2021, India's gross expenditure on R&D is just $43 per capita which is quite low in comparison to its BRICS or ASEAN counterparts like Russia ($285), Brazil ($173), and Malaysia ($293). As a percentage of GDP, India's expenditure on R&D (GERD) has hovered around 0.7% for about a decade. Infact, R&D investment in India fell from 0.8 per cent of the GDP in 2008–09 to 0.7 per cent in 2017-18. In the 2022-23 budget presented earlier this year, the centre had allocated 0.41 per cent of the GDP to research and development.

This is even lower than Brazil (1.16%), South Africa (0.83%) and others. The world average is around 1.8 per cent. With such low contribution, R&D performance remains stagnant. This does not augur well for the future considering India's plan to be a global hub for semiconductor and other innovative technologies.

The economic survey of 2020-21 suggested that the country needs to increase its GERD from around 0.7 per cent to over 2 per cent of its GDP on par with developed economies. As the country aims to move further into science, innovation, and technology, such low spending is may not lead to optimal results. It’s time for the government to implement prime minister's call.