Budget 2021 includes several initiatives to promote science, technology, and innovation with applications in the country. It is a forward-looking budget to substantially boost support for R&D in the key identified areas of national priorities. These are also in line with the projections in the draft Science Technology and Innovation Policy 2021 put up for public consultations. This includes a total allocation of Rs 50,000 crore (€5.9 billion) over 5 years for the National Research Foundation, an autonomous body envisaged to support researchers working across several streams of S&T with special focus on universities.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) announced it has introduced Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology in its smart meters. The private power distributor has so far installed 230,000 smart meters on the Radio Frequency (RF) technology. The company said the "first-of-its-kind" technology integration has been done involving meter manufacturers and NB-IoT service of Reliance-Jio Network. "NB-IoT is a new and cost-effective technology in 4G and 5G spectrum with fast deployment quality.

MoS for Education, Communications, Electronics and IT, said that materials are the backbone of the manufacturing sector in the country and that India’s electronics manufacturing has grown from Rs 1.90 lakh crore (€ 22.3 billion) International Energy Agency akh crore to Rs 5.33 lakh crore (€62.7 billion) in recent years. From contributing approximately 1.3% in 2012, the share of mobile phone manufacturing has increased to 3.6 per cent during 2019 - 2020. This growth has opened employability for thousands,".

India wants to start negotiations on an investment deal with the European Union simultaneously with a trade agreement in a renewed push to boost bilateral ties with the trade bloc. Keen to accelerate investments, technology and capital flows from the EU, India wants the investment and trade deals to happen parallelly and independently. “Both the investment deal and trade deal will have to happen parallelly and independently. The EU has said it is ready to consider launching negotiations on a standalone investment protection agreement, which would increase legal certainty for investors on both sides. 

The DoT has directed to give preference to locally produced cybersecurity products in public procurement. “Preference has to be given to ‘Make in India’ cyber security products in public procurement by central ministries/departments, public sector undertakings (PSUs) and government organisations,” the DoT said in a circular issued. The development came after the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology said that it was awash with complaints from droves of indigenous cyber product companies about the challenges, they were facing in participating in public procurement of such products.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has brought out 'BIS Talks' Films series on standardization in different technology sectors. The films are primarily educational in nature and present an overview of the standardization activities carried out through Technical Committees of BIS. It is envisaged that this knowledge would enable various stakeholders such as industry, academia, research & development institutions, Govt. Bodies, laboratories etc. to reap the benefits of standardization and also to contribute towards strengthening it through their valuable inputs. The 'BIS Talks' Films can be accessed through our website www.bis.gov.in or directly through the link  http://203.153.41.213:8081/php/bistalks/.

The National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) has been launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) along with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). The event was attended by Secretary, MoHUA & Secretary, MeitY and other officers of the Central and State Governments were also present at the launch.  Several other digital initiatives of MoHUA vis. India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), SmartCode, Smart Cities 2.0 website, and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) were also launched.  These initiatives are among the ongoing efforts of both Ministries to realize the Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India and AtmaNirbhar Bharat, by making cities more self-reliant and enabled to meet the needs of and provide services to their citizens.

• India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX): IUDX has been developed in partnership between the Smart Cities Mission and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. IUDX serves as a seamless interface for data providers and data users, including ULBs, to share, request, and access datasets related to cities, urban governance, and urban service delivery. IUDX is an open-source software platform which facilitates the secure, authenticated, and managed exchange of data amongst various data platforms, 3rd party authenticated and authorised applications, and other sources. 

• SmartCode Platform:  SmartCode is a platform that enables all ecosystem stakeholders to contribute to a repository of open-source code for various solutions and applications for urban governance. It is designed to address the challenges that ULBs face in the development and deployment of digital applications to address urban challenges, by enabling cities to take advantage of existing codes and customising them to suit local needs, rather than having to develop new solutions from scratch. 

• New Smart Cities Website ver. 2.0 and GMIS: In order to better connect with people on the Smart Cities Missions efforts and achievements, and to make it easier for ULBs and citizens to access resources related to their work, the Smart Cities Mission website has been redesigned to serve as a single stop for all Smart Cities initiatives. The Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) is integrated with this website.  

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will, from now on, also look after the development of Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions. The move is expected to give a boost to the sector, by setting up a regulatory regime, and facilitating research and new technology to come into this sector. An amendment to the Government of India  Rules, 1961 has been notified, to enable this step. This means that the Ministry will have responsibility for development of ropeway and alternative mobility solutions technology, as well as construction, research, and policy in this area. Formulation of institutional, financial, and regulatory framework for the technology will also fall under the ambit of this move.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways & MSME has urged car manufacturers give priority to the indigenous production of flex engines, which can be used in vehicles using alternative fuels such as ethanol. Meeting a delegation of carmakers from the Society of India Automobile Manufacturers, the Minister said that, with ethanol beginning to be easily available in the country, and more than 70% of gasoline consumption being done by two-wheelers, there is a need to develop indigenous technology for flex fuel vehicles.

India’s transition to EVs has advanced rapidly in the past few years. A supportive policy environment, improving economics, and emerging business models have poised the EV market for significant growth in the coming decade.  Key barriers related to EV adoption—including technology cost, infrastructure availability, and consumer behavior—must be overcome.

NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute has come out with a report titled “Mobilising Finance for EVs in India”: A Toolkit of Solutions to Mitigate Risks and Address Market Barriers” which identified solutions to direct capital and financing to aid in India’s EV transition.