That is true but then this is where we lack to establish a relevant skill enhancing area. The PHD in India is a copy paste tamasha. One solution will be to involve Bureau of Indian standards and Charted Engineers into manufacturing field at least.
We need to revamp the accreditation criteria of universities. UGC has become an outdated body run by people who have failed to keep up with the world. Chai Samosa takes precedence over quality of education. If your campus is big enough, with students being enrolled to fill seats.. bingo.. you can be a "leading" University. It doesn't matter if the said universities even have the machines/tools/equipment to teach kids the course. Just usual parroting and 12th Grade experiments. Changing the criteria will atleast start reflecting the true state of Indian universities, making people aware and pushing universities to move beyond land grabs and maybe towards grabbing latest machines.
I am not even kidding. I was appalled at the state of JECRC jaipur which comes under one of the leading University of 'CAPITAL' of Rajasthan. They taught us things by mandating to pencil down everything said by teacher from their "notes" and experiments that a US kid would have likely done in his garage at 14. I ofcourse dropped out. Basically, connect wire, take readings whoosh. B.TECH in India is a joke. That leaves M.Tech to cover basic aspects too. Making it inefficient as a M.TECH. which obviously reflects in PhD studies too. The lack of resources to pursue a research program in 99% of the uni is also a glaring problem with India.
But then, its also due to the poor state of manufacturing India found itself in. Even today, with all the progress, advanced manufacturing and production alludes us. It will change with units being set up. But you are looking at a backlog of 40-50 years.
Manufacturing is important cause it reduces the cost of tools needed by institutions. Also, the fact that not everything is even available on market.
That's why student led R&D gets limited to 3-4 IITs, IISc and few other institutions barely crossing double digit mark. Cause govt provides funds and connnection to them to have those resources. Example, An IIT professor can apply for advanced centrifuge and get approval from the foreign company. But a professor from JECRC won't even know where to start. Let alone the kids.
A vicious cycle which needs constant efforts from GOI to end this cycle and usher into "atma-nirbhar" bharat. So, anyone criticising the initiative or questioning it's significance... This is just the tiniest of what it means to be self independent. It's not about just making own S-400. It's also about making our own chemicals, vaccines, CNC machines, heck.. a syringe! PPE kits, The Bandaids...
Look at the figures. India was deeply fragile till just 25 years ago. 2000-2013 saw independence in low level software domain and final products FMCG sector. Then look at the work since last 10. you will find how much dependent we still are on others for basic things even and how much we have covered the ground. Then you might realise the significance of make in India, it's progress and the GOIs vision. Otherwise TATA was east Indian company with Indian license before 1991. Extract, Process, export, import final products. Syringes came from China, cars from Japan, coldrinks from USA.
Every month there's a new narrative, new attempt to stall the progress, Raghu Ranjan predicting downfall every quater.. but ever thought, why still we keep moving forward? Cause while I-phone assembly and Hammers make the headlines.. the syringes, APIs ( Active pharmaceutical ingredients) , toys ( plastic production, technology, marketing, designing), PPE kits, nuts... The list is looking... They don't make headlines. But units and clusters keep coming up away from spotlight.. making us resilient and atmanirbhar slowly and steadily.
So, no.. we are not being vocal and doing band baja baraat sunlike China. We are making noise only to attract investment and attention in Big and advanced things that we need help to catch up to. The real deal is happening away from noise. The foundation. It gets lost in the blanket terms of "electronics production", " defense production". And that's good. Cause we have still 100x to cover to catch up. And that's where the govt needs to be pushed. To fasten it. But who will push them? The opposition would rather derail govt away from it with the kind of opposition India finds itself dealing with. The Anti-development and pro-naxal mindset of theirs.
Sorry I got derailed. I recently searched for opportunities under "import substitution" and realised the quagmire India was in , is in and will remain in if we keep mocking the very things we need and if old guard ever comes back.
Dhanyawad.
. Maybe Indian political discussion.
. Bofors scandle still gives PTSD to gobermint and its babooncracy.
