Topic 1 : Looking to the future on St. Patrick’s Day
Context
A foundation of 75 years of diplomatic relations apart, Ireland and India can build an even more enduring partnership by tapping young talent.
St. Patrick’s Day 2024
- This day in India is especially important.
- As we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and India, we remember the proud history of Ireland’s partnership with India in the struggle we both went through for freedom from colonial oppression.
- We remember the conversations, exchanges and meetings that took place between our founding fathers and mothers as both countries charted a path towards independence and the creation of proud and modern republics.
- And, we celebrate the links that have only grown since then, in trade, education and in people-to-people connections.
- St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate Ireland with the more than 70 million people globally who claim Irish ancestry and the many more who show their fondness for Ireland in any number of ways.
History of India and Ireland relations
- As former possessions of the British Empire, the two countries had a similar fight against a common adversary and there were many ties between the respective independence movements in the two countries.
- Many of the provisions of the Constitution of India were drawn from their Irish counterpart, the Constitution of Ireland.
- Indo-Irish relations were also strengthened by people like of Jawaharlal Nehru, Éamon de Valera, Rabindranath Tagore, W B Yeats, James Joyce, Sister Nivedita and Annie Besant.
- During the struggles for freedom from colonial rule, Jawaharlal Nehru and Éamon de Valera were said to be in touch with each other.
- Likewise Vithalbhai Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose were also said to be in touch with Irish nationalist leaders.
- The strongest tie between the two was the link of Annie Besant, from an Irish family but firm supporter of Indian self rule.
- In 1916 she launched the Home Rule League to model Indian independence on the Irish struggle.
- Both countries held economic, political, and strategically important ties to the British empire.
- A significant number of Irish people joined the Imperial Civil Service and the Indian Army during the nineteenth century.
Political and economic relations
- Total trade between the two countries went from €363.5 million in 2005 to €447.3 million in 2007.
- Indian exports included garments and clothing, textile yarn, and medical and pharmaceutical products.
- Indian imports included telecommunications and sound equipment, automatic data processing machines, and other manufactured articles.
- Indian companies Ranbaxy Laboratories, Wockhardt Group and Reliance Life Sciences in the pharmaceutical industry; with TCS and other IT companies in the relevant field.
- And Ireland India Council also seeks to foster business ties between the two states.
- The Council sought to increase "People to People Contact," "Cultural Exchange" engendered through cultural awareness as a necessary attribute to nurturing bilateral relations.
- The Indian diaspora in Ireland’s current and potential contributions to India was through Direct in- vestment, Human capital transfer, Remittances, Philanthropy, and Tourism.
Way forward
- Ireland aims to strengthen its ties with India through increased trade, investment, and political cooperation, as part of its updated Asia-Pacific strategy.
- Ireland sees the historic cultural and political relations between India and Ireland as a foundation for further cooperation.
Topic 2 : India’s R&D funding, breaking down the numbers
Context
India’s technological and manufacturing aspirations hinge on a transformative shift in its R&D landscape.
About
- The announcement in the interim Budget for 2024-25, of a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore to bolster the research and innovation ecosystem within the country, has sparked enthusiasm within the scientific and research communities.
- The decision to rebrand the slogan, ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ (by Lal Bahadur Shastri) to ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan’ (A.B. Vajpayee) to now ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan’ (by the Prime Minister) is intended to reinforce the foundation of research and innovation for development.
- The significance of research and innovation cannot be overstated in fuelling economic growth, technological advancement, and global competitiveness.
Funding landscape
- This entails examining India’s comparatively lower R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP alongside its noteworthy output in terms of patent grants, PhDs awarded, and publication outputs.
- India’s R&D is witnessing significant growth, with a notable increase in Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) from 2010-11 to 2020-21.
- However, with research and development investment as a percentage of GDP standing at 0.64%,
- India falls behind major developed and emerging economies such as China (2.4%), Germany (3.1%), South Korea (4.8%) and the United States (3.5%).
Research output, innovation
- Despite the comparatively lower share of GDP dedicated to R&D, India has emerged as a powerhouse in producing academic talent.
- Annually, India generates an impressive 40,813 PhDs and is in third place after the United States and China.
- This achievement reflects India’s commitment to fostering intellectual capital and contributing significantly to global research endeavours.
- Additionally, India’s research output remains substantial, ranking third globally, with over 3,00,000 publications in 2022, highlighting the nation’s robust research ecosystem and its commitment to advancing knowledge across diverse fields.
- India also demonstrates commendable performance in patent grants, securing the sixth position globally.
Issues and suggestions
- In India, GERD is primarily driven by the government sector, including the central government (43.7%), State governments (6.7%), Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) (8.8%), and the public sector industry (4.4%), with the private sector industry contributing only 36.4% during 2020–21.
- Collaboration between the government, business enterprises and HEIs is essential to maximise the positive impact of science, technology, and innovation on economic growth and technological advancement.
- India’s R&D ecosystem has its advantages in terms of efficiency, but could benefit more from strong private enterprises involvement and stronger industry-academia collaboration, facilitating knowledge transfer and fostering innovation.
- A multi-pronged approach involving diverse stakeholders is necessary to address the challenges and unlock the potential of R&D for India’s economic growth and competitiveness.
- Learning from the R&D ecosystem in other developed countries while maintaining India’s strengths in streamlined decision-making and strategic alignment could be a powerful force to optimise its R&D landscape.
- India must implement policies that incentivise private companies to invest in R&D.
Impact of initiatives
- Initiatives such as the National Deep Tech Startup Policy (NDTSP) signal a strong commitment to technological progress and innovation.
- This policy holds the potential to incentivise private sector engagement in India’s R&D ecosystem.
- The recent enactment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Act, underscores the government’s dedication to catalysing research and innovation as the cornerstone of development.
- Although promising, this initiative must surmount challenges such as ensuring equitable fund distribution, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and upholding global standards.
Conclusion
The interim Budget, combined with the NDTSP and ANRF Act, sends positive signals regarding India’s commitment to incentivising private sector-led research and innovation, particularly in burgeoning industries.