Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technology

What is meant by the Indigenization of Technology? What is the Significance of the Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technologies? What are the Indigenization and Development of New Technologies in Various Sectors of the Indian Economy? Read here to know more.

Technology is a key component in accelerating progress in the modern world.

Nations compete fiercely for the best resources in the military, economics, and infrastructure.

As a result, governments around the world which want to see their country succeed place a high priority on indigenizing technology and switching to new technologies.

What is meant by the Indigenization of Technology?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, indigenization is the process of putting something under the control, authority, or influence of the local population. Essentially, this means using a domestically produced item in place of an imported one.

The term “indigenization” refers to the replacement of an imported good with one produced domestically. This does not mean that the domestically produced object is a copy of the imported one.

Although functionally identical, it can feature more contemporary, energy-efficient, compact, and dependable parts and subassemblies that could be either imported or domestically produced.

The government is thinking about establishing a centre for focused study on the most modern electronic equipment that can be produced domestically to improve its technological competence in the field of homeland security.

The “Make in India” initiative was introduced in 2014 with the goal of enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and creating more job opportunities. The main objective of this program was to encourage the localization of technology, including electronics, ICT, defence, space, and transportation.

Significance of Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technologies

• The process of indigenization is essential for a developing economy to become a developed one. As a result, it has enormous economic significance. As globalization progresses, more and more individuals and material resources are becoming available for other countries to use through bilateral relations.
• As a result, the nation fails to fully utilize its own resources for development. Utilizing one’s natural resources is less expensive and simpler.
• It should be emphasized that for emerging countries, indigenization serves as the precursor to the creation of new technologies. Therefore, indigenous development is important for R&D as well. A nation gains the ability to stand alone, conduct independent research, and create new technologies as long as it can successfully implement the indigenization of technology.
• This represents not just a technological achievement in and of itself but also a major morale booster for Indians. After all, creating new technologies depends on innovation.
• The development of a country into a superpower on the international stage is based on science and technology. As a result of fierce international rivalry, science is always evolving and has made jobs easier and more efficient throughout time.
• Therefore, continuing to rely on foreign technology will give that country access to all of our data and information, which is a very dangerous game in and of itself.
• Therefore, using indigenous technology is the only way to secure national interests and restrict foreign countries’ access to our country’s information. This gives indigenous peoples security in their own countries and territories importance.

Advantages of Indigenization of Technology

The successful indigenization of foreign technology can take many different forms. It has a significant psychological and socioeconomic impact, to start with. Citizens develop a sense of freedom and accomplishment as a result of indigenous development.

Additionally, it expands the range of jobs available in the manufacturing and other service sectors. Additionally, the cost of production after indigenization is less expensive for products of the same quality compared to importing the technology.

The country’s culture of science and technology is also promoted by indigenous people. The scope of research and development is greatly expanded if we have complete autonomy over technology and can effectively refer to it as “ours,” which encourages various institutes to take on new initiatives under the banner of innovation. This finally results in our country’s technological development, which further advances the economy.

Finally, only locals have a complete understanding of the requirements and ideal calibrations a machine needs to function in the local environment. Locals will be more adept at using technology and increase the productivity of the specific sector of the application when it suits their unique needs and desires.

Development of New Technology

The following step involves innovation to create new technology once a country achieves technological self-sufficiency. To bear in mind all the requirements for developing new technology calls for efforts at various levels as well as appropriate cooperation and coordination.

First and foremost, the government’s responsibilities include carrying out federal and state policies to create a favourable climate that fosters competition and innovation in both the commercial and public sectors. By emphasizing the following four key areas,

• Maintaining strong competitive pressure on the domestic market.
• Harboring high-quality human capital.
• Improving the networking between industry-institution-academia.
• Openness and ease of access to foreign technologies.

The nation’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) framework is also a significant and essential influence. IPR prevents others from using a person’s or a group’s original creation, invention, or discovery for financial gain. This promotes national research and development, which advances homegrown technologies.

Second, it’s critical for businesses in both the public and private sectors to recognize and enthusiastically support prospective talent. This will increase the companies’ earnings and reputation, which will ultimately lead to the advancement of technology in the nation.

To achieve this, the country’s youth potential can be utilized by funding and investing in entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship enterprises. A further sort of assistance could be the acquisition of tools and materials for the development of the new technology.

Indigenization of Technology in Various Sectors of the Indian Economy

• India began to work for the indigenization of several economic sectors as early as 1947 after realizing the necessity of being a self-sufficient country. It is generally acknowledged that, in terms of bolstering the science and technology sector, the Indian economy grew in five stages.
• Building relevant infrastructure was the primary focus of Phase I. Reorientation and the use and application of indigenous technology were the primary focuses of phases 2, 3, and 4. Moving toward economic liberalization was the focus of Phase 4, and the advancement of science and technology in an economically liberalized country was the primary focus of Phase 5.
• The extent of indigenization and development of new technology in India can be measured using six keystone sectors-
  • Agriculture; as it has a major share of India’s GDP.
  • Automobiles; are a vital part of connectivity and networking.
  • Information and Communication Technology is the fastest-growing sector in India.
  • Healthcare and biotechnology; emerging field of science and technology.
  • Space; has symbolic significance in the field of science and technology.
  • Defense; is crucial for maintaining the security of the state.
• Indigenous industries have historically tended to be in agriculture. Improving the state of agriculture and livestock production has been a priority since the first five-year plan was created in order to address the food shortages brought on by the abrupt population growth brought on by the refugee inflow.
• In the 20th century, agriculture was already the largest industry in terms of production and employment. Numerous industry-specific revolutions, such as the Green Revolution, which made use of innovative fertilizers, HYV plants, and cutting-edge irrigation technologies in farming, were seen in an effort to further increase agricultural and animal productivity.
• White Revolution: Enhanced milk production through improving collaboration between primary and downstream producers (milkmen and companies). Aquaculture quality was increased by the blue revolution, while India’s yellow revolution enhanced the extraction, processing, and market for vegetable oils.
• Genetically modified crops have recently been launched as innovative, disease-resistant, high-yielding crops. These were created by integrating rDNA technology into farming procedures.
• The transportation and vehicle industries have continued to be in demand, particularly in light of rising urbanization. Private sector players have long dominated this industry. The first automobiles came from Britain and other European countries. This made the Indian market more accessible to Western automakers.
• Following this, the first attempt at indigenization was made with the establishment of Fiat’s first production facilities in India. As more and more western companies entered the Indian auto market over time, competition grew.
• In the 1980s, Maruti and Tata, two Indian competitors, also made their entrance into this market (a decade later). Due to their effective manoeuvrability on Indian roads, which Western cars lacked, they were a hit on the road. Today’s automotive titans in the country, Maruti and Tata, have produced world-class cars.
• The Indian economy’s ICT and IT sector may be its greatest economic success story to date. It all began in 1974 when Burroughs, a producer of computer mainframes, asked Tata Consultancy Services, its Indian sales agency, to outsource programmers to
• The Indian economy’s ICT and IT sector may be its greatest economic success story to date. It all began in 1974 when Burroughs, a maker of mainframe computers, approached Tata Consultancy Services, an Indian sales agent, to hire programmers on their behalf. India was only beginning to gain recognition as a capable IT services nation.
• However, the technology we used was a Western import. Computers, teachers, students, and the products being produced were more geared toward the global market than the domestic one. But as more and more Indian IT businesses gained notoriety for their cutting-edge designs that appealed to home customers, this was to change over time.
• The likes of Infosys, Wipro, Anand Computing, iBall, Tata Elxsi, etc. are the evidence of indigenization and development of modern and target-consumer-specific computers.
• Healthcare is an important sector in which India has been able to achieve great heights. Today, people from around the world are coming to India to conduct their treatment in Indian hospitals. While the indigenization of medical and biotechnological resources is yet to be fully achieved, the workforce consisting of doctors, paramedics, and nurses has become adept at using the current technologies.
• Biotechnology is comparatively a newer field than healthcare and medicine. But even this sector has made a considerable impact in healthcare practices by introducing innovative applications like gene mapping, tailor-made drug dosage, and other such technologies.
• Companies like Biocon, Panacea Biotech, and others have already been well-established and are prompting more and more biotech students to take up employment in their sector
• Space has been a muscle flex by India in various other countries. From launching Aryabhatta on a Russian rocket to launching missile Chandrayaan 2 on an indigenous rocket, these have always brought laurels to India.
• Dr. Vikiram Sarabhai and ISRO are to be thanked for the feats achieved by India in terms of space technology in recent years, launching satellites and spacecraft with minimal budgets. Indian Space research and development have been sufficiently funded and supported by the union governments down the line, providing them with funds and resources to carry forward R&D.
• Finally, we come to the defence. India’s mixed economy puts all the defence manufacturing under public sector undertaking. With that being said, India is also the world’s largest importer of arms and military equipment. Most of the aircraft, guns, and ships are from Western countries, especially Russia, the USA, Israel, and other places.
• Russia has been India’s all-weather ally and has been constantly supplying weapons and aircraft to India. But over the years, Indian military forces have become vintage in nature. The weapons that we use as well as a few planes that are still in service signify the need for immediate modernization of the forces.
• But thankfully, India has started to take baby steps toward defence indigenization. The F-INSAS program is supposed to convert the Indian Army into a futuristic terrestrial force and is completely being developed under Indian supervision.
• Similarly, HAL Tejas, a light combat aircraft has been the first single-engine fighter plane to be completely manufactured in India. Tejas was the star of the ‘Make in India’ policy.
• While these steps are being taken to ensure that the military can keep up with the levels of other military forces, India’s tag as the largest military importer will remain for a while indicating complete indigenization to be difficult soon.

Conclusion

Technological development is essential for a country’s economy to grow. The indigenization of that technology, however, is even more crucial in order for it to be used fully in addressing and effectively resolving problems.

Additionally, indigenization is seen as a precursor to innovation, which results in the creation of new technology at a price significantly lower than that of imported technology.

Additionally, indigenization strengthens residents’ sense of national identity by giving them a sense of shared pride in having technology they can call “Indian” property.

This has a good impact on people’s confidence, which manifests in their work and eventually increases productivity. Governments and businesses should therefore support indigenization and the creation of new technology as it is a noble endeavor that will result in a better future for the country.

Article written by:  Aseem Muhammed