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Introduction

  • Former PM Nehru Ji emphasised the importance of science and technology in solving India’s problems, leading to the Lok Sabha passing the Scientific Policy Resolution in March 1958, recognizing their role in the country’s overall advancement.

Body

Role Played by Science and Technology in Post-Independence India

  • Industrialization:
    • Nehru initiated a strong industrial base, leading to the adoption of multiple Industrial Policy Resolutions/Statements in 1948, 1956, 1973, 1977, 1980, and 1991.
  • Rapid Agricultural Development:
    • The first five-year plan focused on the agrarian sector, with investments in dams, irrigation, and related areas.
    • It led to the development of sectors like irrigation and energy, agriculture and community development, transport and communications, and other sectors and services.
    • The ICAR pioneered the Green Revolution in the 1970s, leading to substantial agricultural advancements in India.
    • The ICAR has also played a major role in promoting excellence in higher education in agriculture.
  • Space Technology:
    • In 1962, the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), together with a Rocket Launching Facility at Thumba (TERLS), was established.
    • It laid the foundation for future space technology development in the country.
  • Technical Education:
    • In 1952, the first of the five institutes of technology, patterned after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was set up at Kharagpur.
  • Atomic Energy:
    • Led by Homi J. Bhabha, the Atomic Energy Commission was formed in August 1948.
    • The Department of Atomic Energy, established in 1954, saw the first criticality of India’s nuclear reactor in Trombay in August 1956.
    • These institutions were instrumental in India’s nuclear state status.
  • Scientific Temper and Modernization:
    • India adopted scientific temper and secularism as a foundation of new India and dams as the temples of modern India.
    • A change over to decimal coinage and a metric system of weights and measures, in line with international standards, was made in phases between 1955 and 1962.

Conclusion

  • The Indian government, through initiatives such as the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Policy-2013 and the National Education Policy 2020, continues to build on the foundational advancements in science and technology from the post-independence era to position India among the world’s leading scientific powers while fostering a scientific temperament among its people.
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