India's bioeconomy has grown nearly 20-fold to USD 190 billion in twelve years, says the S&T minister

From USD 10 billion to USD 190 billion, alongside a jump in weather radars from 17 to 50 and a surge in space start-ups, Dr Jitendra Singh framed a decade of science as moving 'from laboratories to the lives of ordinary citizens'.

What happened

• At a press conference on '12 Years of Transformative Growth in Science, Technology and Innovation' at CSIR Headquarters, New Delhi, Union MoS (I/C) for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said India's S&T landscape has undergone an unprecedented transformation.
• He said the bioeconomy has expanded nearly twenty-fold — from about USD 10 billion to USD 190 billion — over the last twelve years.
• He cited weather radars rising from 17 to 50 (with another 50 planned), transforming forecasting, and the space sector growing from a single-digit number of start-ups to over 400, with the space economy projected to rise from USD 8 billion to USD 45 billion.
• Success stories such as Chandrayaan-3's landing near the lunar south pole and indigenous COVID vaccines, he said, have established India's S&T ecosystem as a global force.
• Science and technology have moved 'from laboratories to the lives of ordinary citizens', powering almost every flagship government programme through a whole-of-government, innovation- and industry-driven approach toward Viksit Bharat.

For Prelims

• Bioeconomy: Economic activity from biological resources and biotechnology — biopharma, bio-agriculture, bio-industrial and bio-IT/services. India's Bio-Economy Report tracks its size (now ~USD 190 bn), a fast-growing share of GDP.
• BioE3 Policy: The 'Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment' (BioE3) Policy (2024) aims to foster high-performance biomanufacturing, bio-foundries and a green, sustainable bioeconomy — the policy backbone for this growth.
• Key institutions: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) drive biotech start-ups and innovation; CSIR is India's largest civilian R&D network.
• Weather radars & forecasting: Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) under the IMD (Ministry of Earth Sciences) enable nowcasting of storms/rainfall; their expansion (e.g. under 'Mission Mausam') improves disaster preparedness.
• Space economy: Enabled by the Indian Space Policy 2023, IN-SPACe and NSIL, with FDI liberalisation — context for the 400+ start-ups and the USD 45 bn target (see this week's space card).
• Whole-of-government & Viksit Bharat: S&T is positioned as a cross-cutting enabler of flagship schemes, aligned to the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
• Don't confuse: 'Bioeconomy' (biology-based economic output) is broader than the biotech/pharma industry alone; the BioE3 Policy (2024) is distinct from earlier biotech strategies.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.13 · Linkage L2