Definition of Technology by Rajiv Gandhi

 The Prime Minister (Shri Rajiv Gandhi) : If I may add a little bit to that because it is on the policy. What has happened in the past that we have tried to develop everything right across the board from small components to large finished units, and invariably we have logged behind what is happening in the world. Except for very few areas, we have not been able to keep up with the frontline technology. And as we go further, technology is advancing very, very rapidly and it is going to be more difficult for us to keep up this race. What happens is this. First we want to buy something. They do not sell it to us. You cannot buy it ….. So, we try to develop it. The minute we develop it and we are on the verge of getting into production, they suddenly say, ‘You can buy it’. Then our own development cost is wasted. Our production costs are higher because it is a new development and they have been making it for some years. So, it frustrates our own process. We must identify certain, what we are going to call ‘mission areas’ and thrust along those areas. We want to improve the technology. When we talk of technology, I am talking on a broader concept, not only of electronics but we might want to improve, for example, the seed of rice, we might want to improve fertilizer, we might want to improve something else; and we concentrate on these ‘mission areas’ so that ten years from now, we are the most advanced country in that area irrespective of anything else. Because we will have to concentrate along these lines, we will have to reduce our efforts on some of the other lines. This is the basic change. I thought I would just explain that.

Source: Verbatim of debate in the Lok Sabha on May 15, 1985 following Starred Question No. 855

(Typos edited)