Editorial 1 : A Mission’s Next Step
Context: India’s cyber-physical hubs are ready to take off. It’s time for industry to step in.
National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS)
- Launched in December 2018 with a budget outlay of Rs 3,660 crore, it aims to establish India as a global leader in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) — merging the physical world with computational systems, driving breakthroughs in areas like AI/ML, robotics, cybersecurity, and autonomous navigation.
- It has an emphasis on translational research.
- The Mission has adopted several innovative mechanisms such as the establishment of Technology Innovation Hubs (in 25 research and educational institutions in thematic domains) as separate Section 8 companies to translate existing research into high technology readiness level (TRL), market-ready products pertaining to national priorities.
- Outcome: In just six years, over 1,500 new technologies and tech products, from over 650 startups/spinoff companies have resulted in over 16,000 jobs and over 1,50,000 people trained in entrepreneurship.
Innovation Hubs: Examples
- IT-OT Security Operations Center (SOC) from C3iHub at IIT Kanpur offers 24/7 cyber threat protection, integrating advanced technologies like intrusion detection, malware analysis, and real-time risk assessment.
- TiHAN Foundation at IIT Hyderabad focuses on autonomous navigation for both aerial and terrestrial systems, offering a state-of-the-art testbed with advanced features like test tracks, rainfall simulators, and V2X communications.
- AWaDH at IIT Ropar is advancing cyber-physical systems to promote sustainable agriculture and water management.
- In collaboration with global partners like Syngenta and Fraunhofer Institutes, AWaDH has developed technologies such as the world’s first Digital Entomologist, an AI-powered Livestock Management System, and Nanobubble Technology for water treatment.
Startups Emerging from Innovation Hubs
- Botlabs Dynamics from I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics at IIT Delhi, is now valued at over Rs 160 crore. It has commercialised drone-swarming technology in the defence and entertainment sectors.
- COMRADO Aerospace from ARTPARK at IISc, it develops high-performance, cost-effective solutions for commercial and military applications, specialising in UAVs for high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance and cargo delivery in extreme weather.
- Mindgrove Technologies, incubated by the Pravartak Technology Foundation at IIT Madras, is a semiconductor company developing open-source RISC-V-based System-on-Chips (SoCs). Its flagship product, Secure IoT, is India’s first commercial chip designed for secure IoT environments, used in smart devices like smartwatches, connected meters, and EV battery management systems.
- Ayu Devices at the TIH Foundation for IoT & IoE at IIT Bombay has developed AyuSynk, a digital stethoscope that revolutionises primary healthcare by offering a user-friendly, affordable diagnostic tool.
Way Forward: What’s next for the Mission?
- The innovation hubs are expected to move towards self-funding through commercialisation as part of their financial autonomy journey.
- Indian industry should fund and co-create their next innovations from these hubs.
- Industry employees can also work out of these hubs so that they are closer to the researchers and entrepreneurs.
- As part of the 100-day agenda of the government, the Mission is also launching a unique project Generative AI for Bharat at IIT Bombay, a collaborative effort between the public, private, and academic sectors to develop multilingual (22 Indian languages) and multimodal (speech, text, and vision) foundational models.
Conclusion: The mission’s success will play a pivotal role in positioning India as a global leader in CPS technologies, with far-reaching implications for the country’s economic growth, self-reliance, and societal well-being.
Editorial 2 : Taming the Outbreak
Context: Implementing Niti Aayog report on dealing with pandemics will require work.
Learning from Covid-19
- In India, the learnings from the crisis have been reflected in moves by the Centre and state governments to improve healthcare facilities, especially in rural areas, and find new ways to ensure the well-being of the most vulnerable, including the elderly.
- The recent Niti Aayog expert panel report, Future Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response, frames a road map to improve the post-Covid healthcare system.
Future Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response
- It underlines that the first 100 days are critical in dealing with a pathogen. The efficacy of interventions in this period has a crucial role in checking the contagion’s spread and preventing an outbreak from blowing up into a crisis.
- It focuses on preparedness.
- It recommends an institutionalised mechanism for pandemic management, an innovation ecosystem and legislation for public-health emergency management.
- It underlines that a database of pathology centres and laboratories is essential to an effective pandemic-response mechanism.
- It also talks of building systems to coordinate between the private and public sectors.
Healthcare Management System in India
- 60% of Indians depend on the private sector for their medical needs.
- A large number of pathology centres and laboratories are also in the private sector.
- Government will need to do much work.
- Data collection has been one of the weakest points of the government.
- There are certain coordination snags in government healthcare schemes involving the private sector.
- Example: Last month private hospitals and nursing homes empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme in Punjab refused to provide cashless treatment till the state government cleared outstanding dues.
Way Forward
- Expert committee reports are enablers. They can provide with recommendations and policy frameworks. It’s up to policymakers to give shape to their recommendations.
- With repeated expert warnings of disease spillovers from the animal world, the government should spare no effort in implementing the recommendations of the Niti Aayog’s report on pandemics.