New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) India has already completed 1,000 kms of secure quantum communication within just three years, achieving the target in less than half the projected timeline, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, said on Friday.

Dr Singh said India is moving at a “very fast pace” in emerging technologies including quantum, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and deep-tech, with the country’s youth set to play the central role in building a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

At an event here, the minister outlined the government’s broader push to align higher education with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cybersecurity and quantum technologies.

He said the Centre, developed in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Ethnotech and Cambridge University Press and Assessment, would train students in nine future-technology domains with globally recognised certifications.

Highlighting progress under the National Quantum Mission, the Minister said India has already completed 1,000 km of secure quantum communication within just three years, achieving the target in less than half the projected timeline, and added that the eight-year Mission is advancing rapidly through four thematic hubs and collaborations with institutions across the country.

The Minister said the India AI Mission launched in 2024 is creating a strong ecosystem around compute infrastructure, datasets, innovation and future skills.

Referring to India’s growing global standing in innovation, he said the country today ranks third globally in the startup ecosystem and has crossed one lakh patents, a majority of them filed by Indian residents.

India also ranks among the top nations globally in scientific publications, with Indian research increasingly receiving international citations and recognition.

Dr Singh said the pace of technological evolution has made continuous skilling and re-skilling essential, especially in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Quantum Technologies and Semiconductor Design.

He said India’s demographic advantage, with nearly 70 per cent of the population below the age of 40 years, presents a major opportunity to emerge as a global skilled workforce hub over the next two to three decades.

–IANS

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