New Delhi, May 16 -- Quantum and Artificial Intelligence sovereignty, along with indigenous ecosystems, will define India's next-generation growth, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said on Saturday, asserting that the country's future in deep-tech sectors will hinge on its ability to adopt "a trusted integrated approach."
Addressing a programme organised by the Technology Development Board (TDB) at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, the Minister released the first electronic fund disbursement of Rs 50 crore to Bengaluru-based Eyestem Research Private Limited under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund Scheme. Agreements for five high-impact projects were also signed during the event.
The five recipients span strategic sectors: e-TRNL Energy for advanced lithium-ion battery cells, Dhruva Space for a 500-kg-class modular satellite platform, Eyestem Research for indigenous cell therapies, Noccarc Robotics for a portable ICU-grade life support system, and Endure Air Systems for an unmanned helicopter platform.
Singh said India is now among a selected group of countries investing in quantum communication, computing, sensing and materials under the National Quantum Mission, noting that the country had achieved nearly half of its 2,000 km quantum-secure communication target in under four years against an original eight-year timeline.
He warned that emerging quantum capabilities posed risks to existing cryptographic systems in banking, governance and telecom, making post-quantum cryptography "critical for long-term national security."
Meanwhile, Union minister Jitendra Singh also lauded the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, for its, cost-effective indigenous medical devices, as he virtually addressed the institute's 42nd annual convocation in the presence of Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.