Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh on Saturday said biotechnology is set to become the driving force of India’s future economy and healthcare, calling it the “next industrial revolution.”
Speaking at the inauguration of SYMRESEARCH 2.0: International Conference on Bioengineering for Global Health at Symbiosis International University in Pune, Dr. Singh said India has already established itself as a global biotech hub with achievements such as the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, HPV vaccine for cervical cancer, the development of new antibiotics, and major gene sequencing initiatives.
“Future economy, in fact, belongs to biotechnology, just as the last revolution in the 1990s was driven by information technology,” he said, highlighting the sector’s potential to generate innovation and employment.
The Minister pointed to government initiatives like the Bio-E3 policy, aimed at leveraging biotechnology for environment, economy, and employment, and noted that the sector has grown from USD 10 billion in 2014 to USD 130 billion today, with projections to reach USD 300 billion in the next five to seven years.
Dr. Singh also highlighted India’s foray into space-biotech research, citing experiments conducted by astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on the International Space Station that studied muscle wasting, cognitive effects of electronic gadgets, and the growth of algae and proteins in microgravity. These efforts, backed by a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Space, he said, are laying the groundwork for emerging fields like space medicine.
On healthcare, the Minister emphasized the need for a holistic approach, saying the COVID-19 pandemic had reinforced the value of integrating traditional Indian systems of medicine with modern science. He stressed preventive care through the “three A’s” framework, awareness, accessibility, and affordability of screening and highlighted initiatives like AI-driven mobile health clinics offering hybrid consultations in regional languages for rural populations.
Dr. Singh pointed out that India faces a dual health challenge: tackling communicable diseases such as tuberculosis while addressing the rise of lifestyle disorders like diabetes and fatty liver among young people. He urged students and researchers to make use of the flexibility under the National Education Policy 2020, pursue interdisciplinary studies, and align their work with national science and technology priorities, noting that India’s youth will be the torchbearers of 2047.
This speech comes as the government pushes to position biotechnology at the heart of its economic and healthcare strategy, combining innovation, entrepreneurship, and traditional knowledge to strengthen both national and global medical progress.
