swadeshi jagran manch logo

Agra National Council � Resolution 1

SWADESHI JAGARAN MANCH

National Council, Agra (Uttar Pradesh)

19, 20 May, 2012

 

 

External dependence Hampering technological development

 


Technology Development in the country has been hampered due to over dependence in the guise of liberalization in high technology sectors on external sources. This dependence in high technology is a cause of concern for growth, Trade Balance, Foreign Exchange reserves, employment and security of the country, both internal & external. Liberalised imports, FDI and Patent regime pushed by WTO and other Trade related restrictions have adversely affected high tech industrial production.

Telecom sector has become fully dependent on Chinese imports for 4th generation technology only because no efforts were made to develop 2G, 3G, or 4G products in the country. This has disturbed Balance of Trade besides endangering the internal & external security of the country. The same is being repeated in power generation sector.

Because of Indiscriminate imports and undue Promotion of FDI, India is lagging behind in advancement of consumer goods to fully automated vehicles, consumer durables, electrical and electronic items, heavy machinery, chemicals, pharmaceutical sector, agro-chemicals, construction, textile manufacturing machines, mining equipments, high capacity information technology goods, and infrastructure sector. Prime Minister has himself conceded this in his address to recently concluded 99th Indian science conference held in Bhuvneshwar.

Expenditure on R&D in real terms in India is negligible. While Israel, Sweden, Japan, UK, South Korea, Taiwan, USA and China are spending 3.0 to 4.2 per cent of their GDP on R&D. In India this is less than 1% of GDP. Gross expenditure on R&D in India is consistently declining. Corruption induced preferential policy of allowing low quality cheap imports has adversely affected technology development in private sector also. Massive corruption in purchase of Sub-standard air- cooled Tatra Trucks running on obsolete fuel-guzzling old engines and similar other decisions have increased the reliance of Defense sector on unreliable sources. Purchasing Sub-standard trucks worth 5000 crores at thrice the cost available within country could have benefited the Indigenous development of technology immensely.
National Council of SJM cautions government to stop this policy of reliance in high end technology sector and instead give priority to development of high end technology and manufacturing, based on such technology within the country. NEC appeals to countrymen to mobilise public opinion to force government to take necessary steps required to develop R&D in Defence, IT and all other knowledge based sectors to make India self reliant. People must also give preference to Indigenous products based on our own high end technology to help its advancement in line with swadeshi moment.

Share This

Click to Subscribe