New Delhi, Oct. 29 -- Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Thursday called for India's science & technology efforts to be judged by measurable outcomes, as the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 concluded at Bharat Mandapam with the release of two policy documents.
The Ministwe said the country must set clear targets for the next three years to assess its progress towards Viksit Bharat 2047. He said this reaffirmed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's advice on outcome-oriented science. He said research priorities should increasingly focus on indigenous resources, methodologies and technologies.
He also called for capacity building in science administration.
Singh flagged several emerging areas, including space medicine, nuclear medicine, ocean science and the blue economy. He said affordable and accessible nutrition must remain a national priority. He added that ESTIC should evolve into a globally recognised scientific platform.
Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay K Sood presented the two documents. The first, the National Vision Document for ESTIC 2026, brings together the long-term priorities of 12 ministries and departments across 12 thematic areas. The second, India: Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2026, is an evidence-based account of the country's STI ecosystem and will be updated annually.
Department secretaries presented recommendations from sessions on advanced manufacturing, ocean science, synthetic biology, robotics and agri-tech. The robotics roadmap envisages validation of pilot technologies by 2030 and global competitiveness by 2047. The next phase of the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems begins in January 2028.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.