Why is it in the news?

• Recently, a draft National Strategy for Robotics” (NSR) was released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in India.

Key components of the draft NSR

• Implementation of robotics in sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and national security, aligning with the Make in India 2.0 Framework.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will oversee the NSR through the ‘National Robotics Mission’ (NRM).
• Recognizes Industrial, Service, and Medical Robots as key categories.
• Identifies core areas for robotics application, including Manufacturing, Healthcare, Agriculture, and National Security.
• Fiscal and non-fiscal interventions by NRM to support innovation in robotics, including funding mechanisms for start-ups and export promotion.
• Establishment of a regulatory framework led by the Robotics Innovation Unit (RIU) for proper governance and regulation of robotics technology.
• Creation of Centres of Excellence (CoE) in Robotics for foundational and applied research, with private sector involvement in application-based research.
• Plans for providing advisory support to start-ups, utilizing research potential in higher education institutions, and developing robotics industrial zones.
• Proposed policy where the central government acts as a demand aggregator for domestically manufactured robotic systems, incentivizing domestic production.

Robotics in India

• Robotics involves the design, construction, operation, and application of robots coupled with computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.
• India ranks 10th globally in terms of annual industrial installations of robots as per the World Robotics Report for 2022.
• India has strengths in the Future of Work, including robotics, AI, IoT, cloud computing, and more.
• Robotics can be used for precision seeding, micro-spraying, weed removal, and more.
• Collaborative robots (Cobots) can work alongside skilled workers.
• Use of robotics for greater efficiency and upskilling opportunities.
• Employment Scope in Sectors like manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, packaging, FMCG, and inspection.