Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh addressed the international Vision 2047 Conference at IIT Roorkee, declaring that the 21st century will be India’s century, driven by a biology‑led economy. He projected the national bio‑economy to reach $1 trillion by 2047.
Key Developments
- Launch of the BioE3 Policy, aiming for a $300 billion bio‑economy by 2030.
- Growth of biotech startups from ~50 in 2014 to >11,000, supported by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and a ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund.
- Scientific milestones: Genome India progress, indigenous CAR‑T cell therapy, mRNA vaccine platform, first home‑grown antibiotic, and a National Biobank.
- Space‑biotech collaboration with ISRO and expansion of nuclear‑medicine facilities for affordable cancer care.
- Advances in emerging tech: the National Quantum Mission achieved key milestones ahead of schedule.
- India’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index improved to 39, and R&D spending more than doubled in the last decade.
Important Facts
The bio‑economy has risen from $10 billion in 2014 to over $165 billion today, growing at ~18% per annum. The government targets $300 billion by 2030 and $1 trillion by 2047, positioning India among the top three global bio‑economies. Milestones are set for 2030, 2035, 2040 and 2047, including operationalisation of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, scaling biotech startups, and advancing marine biotechnology and carbon‑neutral technologies.
Exam Relevance
These announcements intersect multiple GS papers: GS3 (Economy, Science & Technology) – understanding the bio‑economy’s contribution to GDP, policy frameworks like BioE3, and innovation rankings; GS4 (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) – the civilisational ethos of "Arthasya Moolam Dharmam" linking economic growth with ethical values; and GS2 (Polity) – the role of the Union Minister and institutional mechanisms (ANRF, RDI Fund) in steering national development.
Way Forward
Minister Singh urged the "Amrit Generation" – students, researchers and startups – to lead the next scientific wave. He called for IIT Roorkee and similar institutions to become hubs of bio‑manufacturing, deep‑tech research and entrepreneurship. The roadmap envisions a coordinated push across biotechnology, quantum computing, space biotechnology and oceanic research to achieve a prosperous, globally competitive India by 2047.