Technology Indigenization and Research Institutions

Indigenization means building a technology at home. India does the design, the testing and the making. This lowers the need to import and lowers the risk of a supplier saying no.

Why does India want it?

• A country that buys every key machine abroad depends on others.
• Home-made technology can be fitted to Indian needs and costs.
• Research bodies, funding agencies and industry must work together for it to succeed.

Which bodies does this lesson cover?

• ISRO for space.
• DRDO for defence.
• CSIR for science and industry.
• NIF and AIM for grassroots and school innovation.
• TDB and the RDI Fund for money.

What is the memory hook?

Think “design at home, make at home, depend on none”.

India’s space story began with a tiny launch site by the sea. INCOSPAR was set up in 1962 under the Department of Atomic Energy. Vikram Sarabhai led the effort. ISRO replaced INCOSPAR on 15 August 1969.

What happened at Thumba?

• Thumba was a fishing hamlet on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.
• The first rocket was a US-made Nike-Apache sounding rocket. It flew on 21 November 1963.
• A bishop’s house served as the Director’s office.
• A church served as the control room.
• Parts and payloads moved on bullock carts and bicycles.

What came next?

• Aryabhata, India’s first satellite, went up in 1975 on a Russian rocket.
• SLV-3 had its first successful flight on 18 July 1980. It carried the Rohini satellite.
• The Mars Orbiter Mission launched on 5 November 2013. It entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014 in its first attempt.
• Chandrayaan-3 soft-landed near the Moon’s south pole on 23 August 2023.
• GSLV-F15 in January 2025 was ISRO’s 100th launch from Sriharikota.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1962 INCOSPAR, 1963 first rocket, 1969 ISRO”.

DRDO is India’s defence research body. It works under the Ministry of Defence. It began in 1958 by joining three older groups. They were the Army’s Technical Development Establishments, the Directorate of Technical Development and Production, and the Defence Science Organisation.

What was the IGMDP?

• The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme began in 1983.
• It was completed in March 2012.
• It was sanctioned for Prithvi, Trishul, Akash and Nag. It also covered a technology demonstrator for Agni.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1958 DRDO, 1983 IGMDP, five names: Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag, Agni”.

AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy. These are India’s traditional medicine systems. They were first run by a Department. The Department became a full Ministry on 9 November 2014.

Why does it fit this lesson?

• Traditional medicine is a home-grown knowledge system.
• The ministry’s job is the optimal development and propagation of these systems.
• The AYUSH market grew from USD 2.85 billion in 2014 to USD 43.4 billion in 2023, as per PIB.

What is the memory hook?

Think “AYUSH: nine-eleven-fourteen, department to ministry”.

CSIR is the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. It was set up as an autonomous body on 26 September 1942. It works with the government’s science ministry. It runs 37 research institutes across many subjects. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar headed its early forerunner, the Board of Scientific and Industrial Research.

What is CSIR Smart Village?

• It is a pilot project for integrated village development.
• It uses CSIR’s home-made technologies to improve key village indicators.
• The guiding idea is “Lab to Land”. The lab’s work goes to the village.
• CSIR-CBRI Roorkee is the nodal lab. Thirteen labs take part.
• The six villages are Sawaipura in Rajasthan, Janakpur in Madhya Pradesh, Junakimandal in Assam, Kusunpur in Odisha, Chumathang in Leh and Bhada in Kachchh.
• It was launched on 20 December 2025 at Sawaipura.

What did UPSC CDS ask?

Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the real idea is “Lab to Land”, and the question reversed it.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1942, thirty-seven labs, Lab to Land”.

India also backs inventors outside big labs. Two bodies lead this work. They are the National Innovation Foundation and the Atal Innovation Mission.

What is NIF?

• NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology.
• It finds and supports grassroots inventors and traditional knowledge.
• It works with the Honey Bee Network, a network of volunteers.

What is the Atal Innovation Mission?

• AIM is a flagship initiative of NITI Aayog.
• It was set up in 2016.
• Its Atal Tinkering Labs bring hands-on science to schools.
• It sits under NITI Aayog, not under a science, labour or skill ministry.

What did UPSC ask?

In 2015 the NIF question turned on its parent body. Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is wrong. In 2019 the AIM question tested its parent body. The key was NITI Aayog.

What is the memory hook?

Think “NIF under DST, AIM under NITI”.

Good ideas need money. These three schemes help turn research into products.

What is the Technology Development Board?

• TDB is a statutory body. It was set up under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995.
• It was constituted in September 1996.
• It has 11 Board members.
• It promotes the development and commercialization of indigenous technology.

What is the RDI Fund?

• The fund has a total corpus of ₹1 lakh crore.
• It lends money to research and development at about 2 to 4 per cent concessional interest.
• The tenure can be up to 15 years.
• Money flows through Second Level Fund Managers as loans, equity or a mix.
• The first TDB open call under it began on 4 February 2026.

How much does India spend on research?

• Gross Expenditure on R&D rose from Rs. 60,196.75 crore in 2010-11 to Rs. 127,380.96 crore in 2020-21, as per PIB.
• That is more than double in ten years.

What is Make in India?

• It was launched on 25 September 2014 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
• It first named 25 sectors.
• It also aims to turn domestic leaders in innovation and new technology into global champions.

What did UPSC CDS ask?

Statement 1 is wrong because the launch year was 2014, not 2018. Statement 2 is correct.

What is the memory hook?

Think “TDB: Act 1995, board 1996; Make in India: 2014”.

Which dates and bodies get swapped?

• INCOSPAR began in 1962. ISRO began in 1969.
• DRDO began in 1958. IGMDP began in 1983.
• CSIR was set up in 1942. It has 37 institutes.
• The Ministry of AYUSH was created on 9 November 2014.
• NIF is under DST. AIM is under NITI Aayog.
• TDB is statutory and began under the 1995 Act.
• Make in India began in 2014, not 2018.
• The Smart Village idea is Lab to Land.

What is the memory hook?

Think “ISRO 69, DRDO 58, CSIR 42, AYUSH 14”.