India must embrace future technologies, innovate boldly and lead the world in developing them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday and asserted that the country is moving forward with a new mindset and a renewed self-confidence in the field of science and technology.
Addressing the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC)-2026 in New Delhi, he also said the country’s goal is to create new technology and shape its direction — for India, for the world, for today, and for tomorrow.
“India must embrace technology of the future, innovate boldly, and lead the world in creating them,” Modi said.
He said that decades ago, there was a time when science and technology for India meant “catching up”.
When something was innovated anywhere in the world, that technology reached the country a few years later, the prime minister said.
“We would adopt it or move forward by making minor improvements to it. But today, 21st-century India is moving forward with a new mindset and fresh confidence,” he said.
Modi noted that in the age of artificial intelligence, there are new challenges. For example, while AI can rapidly execute routine tasks to boost productivity, it must enrich rather than restrict independent thinking, allowing researchers to use saved time for harder problems, new experiments, and idea validation, he said.
The prime minister warned of emerging AI-era cybersecurity threats to financial networks and national security, and called for developing AI-based and quantum security solutions that protect national systems and serve humanity.
"Our goal is to develop such technologies which empower India and also contribute to solving the problems of humanity,” he said.
During his address, Modi highlighted that from the discovery of zero to the development of the number system and advancements in astronomy, India’s culture has always been rooted in knowledge and discovery.
The country is currently carrying this scientific heritage forward with modern technology and renewed confidence, he said.
Speaking about nuclear energy, he stated that building a Viksit Bharat requires nuclear energy on a large scale, and that’s why India is developing fast breeder reactor technology.
The prime minister noted that it was a significant milestone when the country’s first indigenous prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, attained criticality in August this year.
Modi also said the country’s successes achieved across different sectors are unprecedented. For instance, first shipments of chips made in India have now started reaching the world, he said.
“In the field of battery storage as well, we are working on capacity building using what is available in India,” said the prime minister.
Underlining the milestone achieved in the space sector, Modi said the July mission of Indian firm Skyroot Aerospace, which involved the launch of the country’s first privately developed orbital rocket Vikram-1, and placing of multiple technology demonstration payloads in low Earth orbit.
“From nuclear to space, from AI to semiconductors... The needs of all these sectors are different, but the message from all of them is the same. India is enhancing both its strength and its confidence in emerging technologies,” he said.
He also underlined the country’s unique capacity to deliver “solutions at scale”, so that domestic breakthroughs can solve global challenges. As an example, he pointed to the success of the Digital Stack and indigenous 5G technology.
“India is moving forward in the direction of developing such secure solutions which can reach people on a large scale,” he said.
Modi emphasised that the success of a technology is not determined merely by how advanced it is — its true power lies in how big a problem it solves, and how many lives it transforms.
India's startup revolution is prioritising these exact questions, he said, adding that startups are working on wearable EEG technology (non-invasive technique that records electrical activity in the cerebral cortex) to help understand brain activity.
According to the prime minister, Indian companies are also developing indigenous wireless and satellite communication solutions.
Moreover, Modi spoke about different initiatives launched by the government to strengthen the research sector in the country.
He said, “To build a developed India, we are continuously strengthening our research sector. With this resolve, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation is being accelerated.”
Modi said that over the past year, Rs 12,000 crore committed by the government for market-ready lab technologies has been matched equally by 12,000 crore rupees from private investors.
“Meaning, in just one year, a total new commitment of 24 thousand crore rupees has been made for research and development,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)