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.
