How Can India Be Strategic In Its Use Of Technology
The Information Age has made technology ubiquitous in every country. State economies are transitioning into the digital space, and tech development has frequently outpaced regulation and governance due to improved civic technology access.
We live in an age where technology is becoming a tool for driving growth and protecting state interests. As a fledging, rising technological power, India can utilize technology for the greater good. Technology has simplified policy decisions over the past two decades and improved governance quality.
Technology has helped bridge questions about accessibility, inclusion, and leveling the playing field. India should now start viewing technology and its adoption from a strategic perspective. How can India use technology to solve existing problems and deploy it as a potential solution in crucial governance areas?
India’s Technological Assets
There are some technology areas where India can make a significant global impact, and we should focus on those. It can help expand its international digital footprint and assist its technology exports. Soft power tools include low-cost telecommunications, renewable energy systems, and digital payment frameworks.
A strong workforce in specific technology areas may prove crucial as India uses its abundant domestic human capital. In some labor-intensive supply chains, technologically advanced states must consider the Indian workforce as a contributor.
Despite its size, India’s workforce has proven competent in semiconductor design and IT services. As a rising technological power, India has become essential in vital high-tech areas.
India’s comparative advantage and expertise in specific technologies make it a significant supplier for other states. India should use this strategically to remain a powerful player in the international technology trade.
Research And Development
Investing scientific and financial resources is critical to identify critical technologies. India must explore extensive collaborations with the private sector to enhance research and meet global developments in specific science and technology areas. In turn, a dominant domestic technology sector can increase its influence.
Priority should be given to developing solutions specific to India and unlikely to be encountered in developed countries. Using open-source technology to promote innovation without state involvement, oligopolies, or international politics can aid India’s tech growth.
Consequently, technology would have a more significant impact on development and be more accessible. In an uncertain geopolitical climate, open-source technologies also counterbalance Big Tech’s dominance. The issue of privacy and surveillance can also enable the state and citizens to establish a more trusting relationship.
Despite the problem of gaining a foothold in technology product development, science itself is not a zero-sum game. A priority for the Indian state should be to improve the dissemination of technical expertise.
International Cooperation
The Indian state should not isolate technology development. One sector’s priority must be collaborating in high-tech areas to overcome supply chain bottlenecks. To become one of the world’s leading tech powers, India must champion the principle of plurilateral, which must become necessary.
Talking to multilateral groupings to form technological partnerships is possible. It should also engage in activities related to technology-related trade, facilitate technology transfer agreements between participating states, and set reasonable technology standards.
Developing a robust technology trade infrastructure may be an excellent example of moving forward on the Indian-European Trade and Technology Council. Import tariffs should be reduced on high-tech products, and export controls on critical components should be removed.
Moreover, the Ministry of External Affairs should utilize technology diplomacy to bring science and technology into diplomatic conversations on the ground through appointed officials. Data sharing between states that do not impede India’s national security can allow India to become a global digital player.
Suppose India isn’t required to share critical data threatening its internal security. In that case, it can participate in multilateral technology data-sharing agreements to ensure the country’s access to similar data from other countries.
A state can therefore lead global efforts to establish legally binding and universally-acceptable instruments on technologies that threaten states’ safety and security. As a diplomatic alliance led by India, it can prevent the control of specific technologies by selective groups, particularly those that could impact warfare and conflict.
Technology has benefited from international relations, foreign policy, military, and defense. India should use its technological strengths to advance its strategic interests. As a result, both the Indians and society would benefit.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
