The Government of India is Investing Heavily in Indigenous Deep-tech. Here's the How and Why.

All one hears these days about is "Digital India" and "Make in India." The truth is that for years, these have tended to mean building software, operating large IT services companies, and fashioning hot applications. Now, however, India is striving for something much bigger and more foundational. The new buzzword in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad is deep tech.

The Indian government is dead serious about promoting indigenous deep tech. That is, technology born in India, built by Indians, for India and the world. But why this sudden focus? And how is the government making it happen? Let's break it down.

So, What is Deep Tech Anyway?

First, let's understand what deep tech is.

Think about every application you have on your phone; food delivery or social networking applications, for example. These are 'tech' companies, but they actually build businesses based on existing technology.

Deep tech is different-it's not just an app, it is based on original scientific discoveries or very advanced engineering; it tries to solve huge, complex problems.

• Regular Tech: Utilizes existing tools, such as GPS and the internet, to provide food delivery services.

• Deep Tech: Invents a completely new super-fast un-hackable communication system - something like Quantum Computing - or, through the use of AI, finds a new medicine.

These are technologies that entail time, money, and research to build. Examples include Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Biotechnology, Drones, Quantum Computing, and Advanced Materials.

The "Why": Why is the Government So Interested?

This is not just some small project but a major national strategy for the government to push Deep Tech India. Here's why.

1. Aatmanirbhar Bharat: A Self-Reliant India

India is a vast country and cannot depend upon other nations for its most important needs.

• Defence: We need our own advanced drones, high-tech cybersecurity, and satellite technology. We cannot always buy our most sensitive equipment from other countries.

• Health: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that making our own vaccines, medicines, and medical equipment is important.

• Digital Security: From payments to identities like Aadhaar, everything is going digital. We need to own the technology that secures them.

2. Solving India's Biggest Problems

The problems are unique and mammoth in India; "copy-paste" solutions cannot work out. Solutions have to be created for us.

• Agriculture: AI helps farmers in predicting the weather, soil health, and getting better crops.3

• Healthcare: Deep tech can help in building low-cost diagnostic tools for villages without large hospitals.

• Climate Change: Clean water, clean energy, and pollution reduction all require new technologies.

3. The Next Economic Superpower

It was software services that made India an IT superpower. To be a real economic superpower, we have to create the next big technology. The countries creating and owning deep tech will be the richest and most powerful. That will create high-paying jobs for our engineers and scientists right here in India.

The "How": What is the Government Doing?

It sounds so easy to say, but it requires actual implementation. That is a plan. Now, how would the government make sure the above things get implemented?

1. Funding and Policies

Governments are aware that such companies require a long period of time and a huge amount of investment before reaping profit.

• New Policies: It has launched national missions on high-priority areas like Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence.

Direct funding under schemes like Innovations for Defence Excellence, amongst others, provides funding to startups building technology for our armed forces.

• Tax Breaks: Special benefits are conferred on companies that expend money on Research and Development, or R&D.

2. Creating an "Ecosystem"

It doesn't work just with money alone; you have to connect the right people.

• Linking institutes: Innovation hubs are being created linking top institutes such as IITs and IISc with new entrepreneurs.

• Incubators: These are specialized programs that provide space, mentorship, and access to the lab for deep tech startups in India to turn ideas into actual products.

3. Smart Public-Private Partnerships

The government is not doing this all alone; it has smartly partnered with private industry bodies to speed things up.

A perfect example of the above strategy is the recent partnership between NASSCOM (India's biggest IT industry association) and UIDAI (the government body that runs Aadhaar).9 They have joined hands to support and mentor deep tech startups in India working on new technologies for digital identity, security, and AI.

Pretty cool move, giving startups an opportunity to work on the massive platform of Aadhaar while helping the government find the best new technologies that can make its services better and safer.

Who's building India's Deep Tech Future?

Here are the key players in this new mission.

The Road Ahead: A Long but Promising Journey

Building a deep tech nation is a marathon, not a 100-metre sprint. There are challenges:

• Money: These projects need "patient capital," that is, money from investors who can wait many years to see a return.11

• Talent: We should not let our brightest engineers migrate abroad, but provide an avenue for them to conduct world-class research in India.

• Lab to Market: We have to get better at turning a great invention from the university lab into a successful marketplace product.

But the opportunity is immense. With full government support, a huge domestic market, and some of the smartest engineers in the world, the Deep Tech India story is only just starting. This isn't about creating new companies; this is about building a new, confident, self-reliant India.