Science, technology and industrial development in India

India in its 40 years of independence has made great progress in science and technology and in industrial development. Education at all levels has expanded, and the number of colleges and universities has increased several-fold. Expenditures for research and development (R&D) have grown rapidly, with 85% of its support coming from government agencies. The four largest government programs for R&D are for Defense, Agriculture, Atomic Energy, and Space, and these four account for over 50% of the nation's R&D efforts. Under government encouragement, R&D by private industry has expanded rapidly, and now about equals the public sector industry in R&D expenditures. Industrial concerns, public and private, directly support about 30% of India's R&D.The impact of indegenous R&D on India's industry is growing, but both the public and private sectors of industry still rely principally on imported technologies. However, several new government “liberalisation” programs, aimed at enhancing the contributions of Indian research, for example by making it simpler and less costly to import research equipment, are now in place, and should expand India's research efforts, and their contributions to industry.