AS we move deeper into the 21st Century on the strength of increased automation and smart and intelligent manufacturing the service applications, it would be important to keep the productive engagement of people in mind to ensure that the intuitive and creative capabilities of people are given a focused attention by policy planners.
The opportunity in this respect for creating productive employment is truly great, given the creative and innovative potential of young India. As we prepare to move mountains to take the near $4 trillion GDP of India in 2024 to over 30-trillion dollars economy of Viksit Bharat 2047, the opportunity to harness the scientific, creative and innovative talent of young India is great and must not be undermined.
A complex challenge
The scientific research in the new era of mind boggling technology innovations demand a sustained investment in path-breaking scientific research and for creating interdisciplinary research clusters and research cohorts that would enable Indian scientists to devote their efforts to achieving major breakthroughs in areas that matter most for economic prosperity, environmental health, and inclusive growth. It is a complex challenge, but it’s not impossible. Here’s how these goals can work together:
l Innovation for a Green Economy l Transition to Clean Technology Investing in research and development of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency solutions, and sustainable materials can create new industries and new green jobs, while reducing environmental impact. The whole lot of new rural enterprises are based on path-breaking green energy research in areas like solar energy harvesting, green hydrogen and low wind speed turbine based wind energy farms. But here also our scientists need to develop path-breaking science that shall enable a solar plant to operate at 98 per cent efficiency as against 16-18 per cent as at present. Likewise, producing liquid hydrogen at room temperature as against the current technologies for liquid hydrogen at -254 degrees Celsius!
Circular economy
The time to engage scientists in India in such miraculous and future sciences is now and India cannot afford to miss the opportunity now that we have taken a resolve for Viksit Bharat @2047. The National Research Foundation of Bharat should take such calls for supporting path-breaking research now that Bharat is called upon to take the leadership role in scientific research and technology innovations.
Transitioning to a circular economy, where materials are reused and recycled, minimises waste and resource depletion, fostering long-term economic stability. But to make a big business sense for the circular economy, we need major breakthroughs in design and development of new smart and intelligent materials. Newage systems of design and manufacturing are needed that shall make a big sense of ‘design for life’ like humans and natural plants are designed through ‘molecular manufacturing’. It is then that biodegradation will become a rule for one and all and circular economy through recycle, reuse and remanufacturing will become a revolution.
