Discover the vision for India’s future in this summary of India 2020 by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The ‘Missile Man’ of India lays out a roadmap to transform India into a developed nation by 2020 through innovation, education, and sustainable growth. Let us read his vision in simple and easy to understand summary.
Can India become developed ?
According to the economic system, there are many parameters to measure the development of any country. Like Gross Domestic Product, Per Capita Income, International Trade and Rate of Growth of GDP.
According to Abdul Kalam, these are all economic indicators. These do not show the real status of the people of the country. According to him, to make the country developed, all the people of the country should be above the poverty line. National security should be strong and should not depend on anyone.
The country’s industries should make quality products that can be exported all over the world. And the country’s infrastructure should be good. For all these parameters, technological development is very important.
To do technological development, we have to focus on our core strength, which is India’s population and natural resources. By focusing on health, education and skill development, we can prepare India’s population for technological development. And can make India a developed nation.
The first step of development is to get out of foreign superiority mentality. Often we think that what is made abroad is superior. We have to realize that our country is no less than other countries in any matter.
Example of Japan
In 1970, Japan was a net importer of goods. To become self reliant Government of Japan invested heavily in technology. Initially they used to export to less developed countries and import from more developed countries. Japan focused on quality improvement and slowly started exporting. As a result, in 1990, Japan became a net exporter of goods.
If we talk about India, then India’s population and its natural resources are its core strength. Indians have a good learning capability and also they have entrepreneurial skill. They just need an opportunity to use their talent. Let’s understand how we can make India a developed country by using technology in different areas and discuss the synopsis of India 2020
Agriculture and Food Processing
As the population increases, the demand for food grains increases. India’s agriculture is dependent on monsoon. The technology used during green revolution was imported from foreign countries. If India wants to become a developed country in long term, then it has to develop its own technology.
By using space technology, India’s farmlands can be surveyed. According to this survey and climatic conditions, we have to choose the crop. In East India, where it rains a lot, rice can be grown. In Maharashtra’s dry areas, coarse grains like Jowar, Bajra and Ragi should be grown. Wheat and rice should be grown in India’s river beds. In Central India, where it rains moderately, fruits and vegetables should be grown. Technologies related to agriculture like drip irrigation, cold storage, hybrid crops, need to be developed quickly. Farmers need to be provided with education and technological support.
India’s long term vision should be to grow food grains for the growing population and also to export it.
Advanced Materials
Advanced materials have a very important role in economic growth. Things made from advanced materials have become very common today. Like non-sticky frying pan, televisions, satellites and aircraft.
In 1970, India needed a part made from beryllium for its SLV satellite. Which was made only by US and Japanese companies. And they refused to give it to India. When Abdul Kalam researched, he found that India has a lot of beryllium. But there was no technology to process it. Later, a beryllium processing center was established in Mumbai. India has a lot of thorium, beryllium and many advanced materials. It is necessary to develop technology which can process them and make useful products.
Biodiversity
Himalayan region, forest and coastal belt make India’s biodiversity very rich. These places have a lot of resources which have not been explored yet. India needs to conduct an extensive survey of its biodiversity. By using technology, India can become a world leader by processing the natural products found here. It is necessary to increase research and development in these areas.
Manufacturing
Large scale manufacturing started in western countries. Quality improvement started in Japan.
In India, development of mass manufacturing industries is slow. Due to globalization, India’s service sector is growing faster than manufacturing sector. Today, IT is also being used in manufacturing sector. India which is an IT hub, can become a world leader in software and sensor based advanced manufacturing in textile, electronics and automobile industry. It is necessary to increase research and development in these areas and develop technology related to these areas.
Strategic Industries
Strategic means gaining advantage.
Telecommunications, defense and space are strategic areas of India. By using technology in these sectors, India can gain advantage over other countries. India’s defense sector imports up to 70%. We have to make it 30% and do 70% self production. For this, we have to invest in research and development in defense sector.
To make defense related components, we have to encourage private sector. Government companies can make world class defense products by sourcing products from private companies. In space program, many components are imported from outside. It is necessary to develop them in India.
The biggest example of this is India’s first self guided missile Prithvi. It was developed by DRDO. It is a very good example of make in India. Advanced materials and alloys used in this were developed in India. Its sensors were not very advanced. But their accuracy was improved by using advanced software. Prithvi is a good example of India’s capabilities and teamwork.
Infrastructure
Enabling infrastructure is very important for economic growth.
Road, rail and water transport has to be developed. Instead of making roads of same quality everywhere, roads should be made according to climatic conditions and use pattern. Transmission losses in power sector needs to be reduced. Research on nuclear energy, hydrogen fuel cell and fission power is needed. So that India can become a world leader in these technologies.
Realizing the Vision
To make India a developed nation, working population, visionary politicians and enabling bureaucracy are needed. Politicians have to invest in technology for India’s development. Whereas bureaucrats have to give an enabling environment instead of complex rules and regulations. Working population has to use their hard work and talents to make India a developed nation. All these points were discussed from book India 2020.
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