MAINS Current Affairs includes India’s Deep-Tech Expansion: Why Strategic Alliances Matter & Border Management in India

SCIENCE AND TECH

1. India’s Deep-Tech Expansion: Why Strategic Alliances Matter

Context: The recent visit of India’s Prime Minister to Nordic nations, Italy, and the Netherlands marked an important step in India’s strategic outreach to strengthen cooperation in deep technology, innovation, green energy, and digital sovereignty.

What is Deep Tech?

Deep Tech refers to innovation driven by major scientific and engineering breakthroughs.

Deep-tech startups operate in advanced sectors such as:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI),
• semiconductors,
• quantum computing,
• robotics,
• biotechnology,
• blockchain and cryptocurrency,
• green energy technologies,
• space technology.

Unlike traditional startups that focus mainly on digital services, deep-tech ventures require:

• large financial investments,
• long research and development cycles,
• close collaboration among academia, industry, and government.

This makes deep-tech projects both difficult to develop and strategically important.

Why Deep Tech Has Become a Geopolitical Issue

Strategic Importance

• The global order is increasingly shaped by deep technology. Countries that dominate AI infrastructure, semiconductor supply chains, quantum communication, and green technologies are likely to gain major strategic advantages.

Risk of Tech-Colonisation

• Advanced AI systems, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductor technologies are currently dominated by a few American and Chinese firms. Countries lacking domestic technological capabilities may become dependent on foreign technologies, legal systems, and embedded biases.

Weaponisation of Supply Chains

• The US-China trade conflict demonstrated that semiconductor export controls can function as powerful geopolitical tools. India remains vulnerable because it imports nearly $50 billion worth of semiconductor chips annually while domestic production remains limited to around $2–3 billion.

Data Sovereignty Challenges

• India generates nearly 20% of the world’s data but lacks sufficient domestic data storage and processing capacity. As a result, much of the value derived from Indian data benefits foreign cloud companies.

India’s Deep-Tech Ecosystem: Current Status

Expanding Startup Ecosystem

• India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. More than one lakh recognised startups operate in the country, with over 3,000 working in deep-tech sectors.

Cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune are becoming major deep-tech hubs.

Strength in Digital Public Infrastructure

• India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) model has gained international recognition through platforms such as:
• Aadhaar,
• UPI,
• DigiLocker,

These systems showcase India’s ability to implement large-scale digital innovations.

Push for AI and Semiconductor Development

• The government launched the IndiaAI Mission with an allocation of over ₹10,000 crore to strengthen:
• AI computing infrastructure,
• AI startups,
• indigenous AI models,
• skill development.
• Additionally, semiconductor incentive schemes worth ₹76,000 crore have been introduced to encourage domestic chip manufacturing.

Global Technology Partnerships

• India is actively pursuing:
• the India-EU Free Trade Agreement,
• technology cooperation with Nordic countries,
• semiconductor partnerships with the US, Japan, and Taiwan.
• These collaborations aim to reduce overdependence on a limited number of countries.

Challenges Facing India’s Deep-Tech Ecosystem

Low Investment in Research and Development

• India spends only about 0.7% of its GDP on research and development. Annual R&D expenditure is nearly $13 billion, which is lower than the annual R&D spending of companies like Nvidia alone.

Limited Private Sector Participation

• Most deep-tech initiatives are still government-led. Venture capital investors generally prefer sectors such as fintech and e-commerce that offer quicker returns, while deep-tech projects require long-term investment and higher risk tolerance.

Semiconductor Dependence

• India continues to rely heavily on imported chips, advanced electronics, and semiconductor fabrication equipment, increasing supply-chain vulnerabilities.

Brain Drain

• Many Indian scientists and engineers migrate abroad because of better funding opportunities, superior research infrastructure, and higher salaries in foreign countries.

Weak Industry-Academia Collaboration

• Research institutions and industries often work independently, limiting the commercial application of innovations and technological breakthroughs.

Government Initiatives to Promote Deep Tech

IndiaAI Mission

• The mission aims to build a strong AI ecosystem through GPU infrastructure, AI innovation centres, startup support, and ethical AI frameworks.

National Quantum Mission (NQM)

• Approved in 2023 with an outlay of ₹6,000 crore, the mission focuses on:
• quantum computing,
• quantum communication,
• quantum sensing.

India Semiconductor Mission

• The mission seeks to establish semiconductor fabrication plants, strengthen chip design capabilities, and attract global semiconductor firms.

Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)

• It was created to improve research funding, promote university-industry cooperation, and strengthen the innovation ecosystem.

Startup India and Digital India

• These programmes provide:
• easier business regulations,
• funding assistance,
• digital infrastructure,
• innovation incentives.

Way Forward

Increase R&D Expenditure

• India should gradually increase spending on research and development to at least 2% of GDP.

Encourage Greater Private Investment

• Measures such as:
• tax incentives for R&D,
• deep-tech venture funds,
• public-private partnerships
• can help attract long-term private investment.

Build Domestic Semiconductor Capacity

• India needs to accelerate semiconductor fabrication units, strengthen supply chains, and expand the electronics manufacturing ecosystem.

Strengthen Research Universities

• Improving global rankings, increasing institutional autonomy, encouraging interdisciplinary research, and enhancing funding are essential.

Expand International Partnerships

• Strategic cooperation with the EU, Nordic countries, Japan, and the US can help India access advanced technologies and accelerate innovation.

Develop Skilled Human Resources

• India should focus on:
• AI education,
• quantum computing expertise,
• semiconductor engineering,
• advanced research fellowships.

INTERNAL SECURITY 

2. Border Management in India

Context: The Union Government is set to launch a Smart Border Project aimed at strengthening India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh through the use of advanced technologies such as drones, radars, and modern surveillance systems.

What is Border Management?

• Border management refers to the process through which a nation regulates and secures its borders to ensure national security while also enabling the smooth movement of authorised people and goods.
• It involves:
• preventing illegal crossings,
• stopping security threats,
• facilitating lawful trade and travel with minimal disruption.
• India’s coastline, earlier measured at 7,516.6 km, has now been reassessed to 11,098.81 km by the National Hydrographic Office (NHO) in coordination with the Survey of India (SoI), based on updated reference standards provided by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

Importance of Border Management

National Security

• India shares a land border of nearly 15,106 km with seven countries:
• Pakistan,
• China,
• Bangladesh,
• Nepal,
• Bhutan,
• Myanmar,
• Securing these borders is essential to prevent terrorism, infiltration, and illegal migration, thereby ensuring national stability and security.

Economic Development

• Border infrastructure such as roads, tunnels, and connectivity projects supports:
• trade,
• tourism,
• reverse migration,
  while transforming remote villages into strategically important “first villages.”

Strategic Stability

• Efficient border management strengthens India’s deterrence capability against adversaries and improves rapid military mobilisation.

Community Integration

• Development of border villages promotes national integration and reduces alienation among populations living in frontier areas.

Major Challenges in Border Management

Porous Borders

• Borders along Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar remain vulnerable due to easy cross-border movement, which facilitates:
• smuggling,
• illegal migration,
• human trafficking.

Difficult Terrain

• Mountainous regions, deserts, and dense forests make surveillance and infrastructure development difficult.

Cross-Border Terrorism

• Continuous infiltration attempts along the India-Pakistan border remain a major security concern.

Technological Gaps

• India still requires wider use of:
• Artificial Intelligence (AI),
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs),
• smart fencing technologies

to effectively address evolving threats.

Socio-Economic Vulnerabilities

• Border villages often face inadequate:
• healthcare,
• education,
• livelihood opportunities,
• making local populations more vulnerable to exploitation.

Coordination Challenges

• Multiple agencies involved in border security sometimes face overlapping responsibilities and coordination issues.

Measures Taken by India

Border Infrastructure and Management Scheme (BIM)

• The BIM Scheme is a Central Sector Programme for 2021–26 with an outlay of ₹13,020 crore aimed at strengthening India’s international borders.
• The scheme focuses on:
• fencing,
• roads,
• floodlights,
• Border Out Posts (BOPs),
• helipads,
• foot tracks,
• technological surveillance in difficult terrain where fencing is not feasible.

Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS)

• The system improves real-time situational awareness along the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders by integrating:
• manpower,
• sensors,
• intelligence networks,
• command-and-control systems.

Border Area Development Programme (BADP)

• BADP aims to improve living standards in areas within 10 km of international borders through:
• healthcare,
• education,
• roads,
• water supply,
• sanitation,
• livelihood support.

Role of Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

• BRO develops and maintains strategic infrastructure including:
• roads,
• bridges,
• tunnels,
• airfields
• in border and remote areas for both military and civilian purposes.
• It has constructed:
• over 64,100 km of roads,
• 1,179 bridges,
• 7 tunnels,
• 22 airfields
• across border regions and neighbouring friendly countries.

Expansion of BSF Jurisdiction

• The jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) has been extended from 15 km to 50 km in certain regions, and land allocation issues in West Bengal have also been resolved.

Digital Connectivity Initiatives

• The government is expanding internet connectivity in remote regions through projects such as:
• BharatNet,
• Digital Bharat Nidhi.
• These initiatives aim to provide broadband access to all Gram Panchayats and improve last-mile digital service delivery through multilingual and accessible governance platforms.

Vibrant Villages Programme

• The Vibrant Villages Programme-I (2023) focuses on the development of 662 villages along the northern border in states such as:
• Arunachal Pradesh,
• Himachal Pradesh,
• Sikkim,
• Uttarakhand,
• Vibrant Villages Programme-II, approved in 2025, aims to cover 1,954 villages across 15 States and 2 Union Territories for broader socio-economic development of border communities.

Conclusion and Way Forward

• India’s border management strategy is gradually evolving into an integrated framework combining:
• advanced technology,
• infrastructure development,
• community welfare.
• Future priorities should include:
• expansion of AI and satellite-based surveillance,
• strengthening healthcare, education, and livelihood opportunities in border villages,
• improving coordination among security agencies,
• promoting self-reliant and smart border villages,
• enhancing regional cooperation with neighbouring countries,
• building resilience against hybrid cyber and physical threats.
• The Smart Border initiative is expected to establish a technology-driven integrated security grid within a year.

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