Rajeev Narayan/

It takes but a tweak to bring about discernable change—and here, we should surely consider what bringing down the wall did not just to Germany but to Europe too. A similar beginning was made a few days back by India when National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was welcomed into the White House by his counterpart Jake Sullivan to launch the ‘next milestone’. What is this milestone? Well, to bring about a tech spurt to India that could change the entire business landscape between the two countries and strengthen linkages in start-up ecosystems and build innovation bridges in key sectors between the two countries, through expos, hackathons, and pitching sessions.

That’s a start, but we need to move on with the next few steps to make sure that India gets what it needs to continue on its juggernaut run down the tech pathway. The whole premise of the meetings is to bolster bilateral cooperation in critical and emerging technologies. Thanks to the said meetings, the two sides have now established a quantum coordination mechanism with participation from industry and academia. What is needed is a concerted approach to ensure that the chosen path is followed and that said targets are achieved. For instance, in the field of semiconductors, the US will now support the development of a fabrication ecosystem in India and encourage joint ventures and partnerships for the creation of mature technology nodes and advanced packaging. Nice.

Possible game-changer

The meetings were attended by Ajit Doval and other senior Indian officials at the ‘initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) conclave. These included Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Principal Scientific Advisor, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Chairman of ISRO, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Director General, DRDO, and other officials from the National Security Council Secretariat and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. From the US side, besides Sullivan, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, NSC Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell, Senior Director for National Security and Technology Tarun Chhabra, and State Department Deputy Envoy for the Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies Seth Center, were part of the dialogue.

These names, in themselves, are a telling import of these interactions—for it is creating the next big milestone in India-US Strategic Partnership, with the stated objective of taking bilateral cooperation to a new level, specifically in areas of interest to India, and that is cause for applause in these tremulous times.

What is particularly hearty from these discussions at the White House is that there has been a keen, even laser-like focus on aligning Washington and New Delhi’s strategic, commercial, and scientific approaches, especially in the field of technology and development. This alone holds the potential to propel India forward in its already-concerted attempt to move up the tech ladder and position itself as a global superpower in the move toward achieving self-dependency. Remember that India also recently discovered liberal precious mineral deposits of lithium and cobalt in Jammu and Kashmir—that alone puts us in a solid spot to take much away from imports worldwide dependent on China.

The next few steps

Another bright spark is that the US has offered to ease export barriers in critical areas through legislative changes. Emphasis is being placed on strengthening linkages between start-up ecosystems and building innovation bridges in key sectors between the two countries. Of special note is the field of semiconductors where the US will support the development of a fabrication ecosystem in India and help catalyze joint ventures and partnerships for mature technology nodes and advanced packaging. The two countries have agreed to constitute a task force involving India’s Semiconductor Mission, India Electronics Semiconductor Association (IESA), and the US Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) to develop a ‘readiness assessment’ to identify near-term opportunities and facilitate longer-term development of semiconductor ecosystems.

So far, so good—let’s move to defense manufacturing, where India and the US have agreed to focus on joint production of items of ‘mutual interest’. After NSA Doval’s meetings, the US has committed to a review of the license application submitted by General Electric (GE) to produce jet engines in India for the indigenously-manufactured Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). A new ‘Innovation Bridge’ will now be established to connect defence start-ups on both sides. In the field of space, there are opportunities offered by the opening up of India’s space sector and the contribution of India’s space tech companies in the US. Both India and US have agreed that ISRO will work with NASA on human space flight opportunities, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project, and STEM talent exchanges. Wow. India and the US have also agreed to launch a public-private dialogue covering 5G/6G and ORAN.

And that is why...

That is why I called it a new beginning’ in the header, for it is one. This is also a reason and season for change, a time for growth, technological revival, transformation, and abundance. The only thing limiting us now is ourselves, if at all, but this last visit by NSA Doval and accompanying dignitaries from India officialise, as also the open acceptance of their thoughts by US counterparts speaks highly of the changing Indian stature in global politics and economics.

We are amongst the fastest-growing economies in the world. We have overtaken most, through, beyond, and despite COVID-19. It is time to move on now, and we are doing just that. India is today overtaking the briskest of nations in terms of fiscal prudence, despite our owning the world’s largest population. That alone is the call for celebration. The real call I shall make, of course, shall only be after I see us reach $5 trillion as an economy. Many debunk that, but we shall get there...

The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist.