Investing in Our S&T Future
It is heartening to see the latest push from NITI Aayog, urging states to significantly enhance their funding for Science and Technology (S&T), as highlighted in their recent newsletter. The initiative, championed by leaders like Dr. V. K. Saraswat and Shri Suman Bery, is a crucial recognition that our nation's progress is inextricably linked to our innovative capacity. For me, this is a moment of validation.
The core idea I want to convey is this — this call to action resonates deeply with arguments I have been making for decades. Back in my 2022 blog, "India@100," I discussed the roadmap for making India a developed country, emphasizing that productivity is the key driver of prosperity. Even further back, in letters from the 1980s like "Working Smarter," the central theme was that true growth comes not from working harder, but from innovating and leveraging technology to work smarter. This recent move by NITI Aayog feels like a long-overdue acknowledgment of this foundational principle: to build the castles of our future, we must first lay the foundation of robust S&T investment.
However, simply increasing funding is not enough. We must also be strategic about where this investment goes. This brings to mind a recent piece of advice from Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang. In an article, he suggested that while coding is a valuable skill, the next revolutionary frontier lies in understanding human biology. He posits that "digital biology" and life sciences will be the engineering marvels of this century.
His perspective is a powerful reminder that our S&T focus must be broad and forward-looking. We must invest not only in the technologies of today, like AI and software, but also in the nascent fields that will define tomorrow—biotechnology, genetic engineering, and advanced materials.
NITI Aayog's call is the right start. Now, the challenge is to cultivate a true culture of innovation, one that empowers our scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs to not just follow global trends, but to create them. We must ensure this funding becomes the fuel for an engine of discovery that will power India's journey for the next hundred years.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
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