In a strategic move to secure its technological future, India has announced the launch of two major state-of-the-art Quantum Fabrication and Central Facilities under the National Quantum Mission (NQM). These facilities, with a total investment of ₹720 crore, are being set up at IIT Bombay and IISc Bengaluru. Their primary objective is to indigenize the fabrication of quantum computing chips and quantum sensors, accelerating their development within India and strengthening the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) goals. Previously, India largely relied on foreign facilities for quantum device fabrication, which posed challenges to the pace of technology development.

Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, announced this development during his visit to IIT Bombay. The initiative includes advanced infrastructure for quantum materials, devices, and scalable hardware to support national research and development (R&D) and industrial applications. These facilities will be accessible to academia, S&T institutions, industry, startups, MSMEs, and strategic sectors across the country, aiming to fast-track the fabrication process and support technology development, prototyping, and small-scale production. This marks a crucial milestone in India's journey toward technological sovereignty in quantum technologies.

Further bolstering India's innovation ecosystem, Dr. Jitendra Singh also reaffirmed the landmark ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund during an interaction with the Mumbai Industry. This fund, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 3rd, is envisioned as a transformational catalyst for private-sector driven R&D, intellectual property (IP) creation, and commercialization in "sunrise" technologies. The Minister emphasized that India's economic rise in the coming decades will be powered by "science, technology and innovation-led growth," urging Indian industry, investors, and startups to engage with ambition and long-term commitment.

The RDI Fund aims to support private-sector R&D in critical areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), semiconductors, clean energy, biotechnology, and space, among other strategic domains, through long-term, low-interest loans and equity-based risk capital. India has shown significant progress in innovation, ranking 3rd in scientific research output, 6th in patent grants, and 39th in the Global Innovation Index, also being among the top 5 countries in 45 of 64 critical technology domains.

In another notable development, IIT Kharagpur launched its "Impact RISE" initiative (Research, Innovation, Skilling, and Entrepreneurship) on Tuesday, focusing on sustainable technology and management practices for societal transformation. This initiative will address critical areas such as climate resilience, AI health diagnostics, women's health (with a focus on low-cost devices for anemia and oral cancer screening), safe water solutions using arsenic filters and smart soil scanners, and advanced agricultural technologies like autonomous agri-robots.

These combined efforts underscore India's commitment to becoming a global leader in deep-tech innovation and leveraging science and technology for national development and global competitiveness.