The Congress VisionFour-and-a-half decades in power and monumental achievements to match those years -- that is what the Congress Party is all about. Achievements in fields ranging from Agriculture and Rural Development to Atomic Energy and Space Science, which have led to the nation's primary objective of attaining self-sufficiency. Achievements in brief
Industry
Agriculture
Rural DevelopmentThe Party has had a long tradition of association with rural development programmes, the main aims of which are generation of rural technology -- using local resources -- to meet local needs. Leather, pottery-making, food processing, matchsticks, soap-making, hand-made paper, bee-keeping, fibre (coir, etc) goods and biogas are the fields which have seen vast improvement as a result. DefenceSelf-sufficiency has been the byword in the field of defence production and preparedness. The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s efforts have resulted in introduction of indigenous small arms and field artillery. Missile technology has reached new heights with the development of weaponry such as the Prithvi. Research and production of equipment like radars and sonars, flight simulation facilities, pilotless target aircraft, etc, have been given encouragement. Telecommunications
Power & Energy
Atomic EnergyIn May 1974, India carried out her first peaceful nuclear explosion at Pokhran. Today, she is counted as one of the nine privileged nations which have the capacity to indigenously design, engineer, build and commission nuclear power units. Self-sufficiency has been achieved beginning with exploration and mining of minerals, preparation of pure nuclear materials, design and construction of reactors, etc, to reprocessing of spent fuel and waste management. There are five power reactors in operation in the country, and the speed with which her first indigenous reactor unit in Chennai was built and commissioned speaks volumes about India’s prowess in the field. SpaceConsiderable progress has been made in establishing a firm indigenous base in space science and technology. Satellites designed and fabricated in India, like the Aryabhatta, the Bhaskara I and II, the Rohini and the APPLE, bear testimony to this progress. The INSAT series of satellites have been providing invaluable radio, television, telecommunication and remote sensing services, while the SITE and STEP experiments have been useful in accumulating experience before launching of operational satellites. Today, India is also building its own satellite launch vehicles, and successfully conquering the skies with them. OceanographyExploration and recovery of polymetallic nodules from the ocean floor -- using the research vessel Gaveshni -- and four successful scientific expeditions to Antarctica since 1982 have been the major achievements. Besides, Indian science has developed considerable expertise in various branches of geology, geophysics, meteorology and oceanography. Education
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In 1947, India had hardly any industries. Today, it is the 10th largest
industrial power in the world. Guided by the two Industrial Policy Resolutions of 1956 and
1980, the nation has seen rapid growth in sectors like textiles, jute, cement, iron and
steel, petrochemicals, fertilisers and drugs. Indigenous enterprise and production have
replaced most imports. With a science and technology manpower stock of 2.8 million, 130
specialised laboratories, over 700 inhouse research units and a growing number of
consultancy organisations, India’s R&D network has acquired the capability for
most sophisticated testing and designs. New institutional structures like the Departments
of Non-conventional Energy Sources, of Scientific and Industrial Research and of Forests,
have been introduced in thrust areas.
Foodgrain production has increased tremendously -- from 55 million tonnes in
1950-51 to more than 200 million tonnes today -- leading to self-sufficiency, through the
introduction of high-yielding and hybrid crops, better technologies, sustained research
and minimising of pests and diseases. Irrigation facilities have increased six times since
1951. Biotechnology, conservation science and energy management have been other major
initiatives. Genetic improvement and better mutation and dairy technology have helped
achieve higher productivity in animal husbandry. In fishery technology, induced fish
breeding techniques have been introduced.
Installation of a copper-beryllium alloy ingot plant has been the principal
achievement towards the production of electronics goods. Another step has been the
configuration of the National Silicon Facility. Modernisation of the telecom industry,
with an emphasis on indigenous production of equipment like message switching systems and
electronic rural automatic exchanges, has been initiated. India has emerged as a leader in
computer technology, with the ECIL and the ICIM specialising in mini-computers and the
Department of Electronics and VSNL promoting computerisation through a network of
regional centres.
Large-scale
construction and commissioning of power plants and transmission networks led to a quantum
leap in power generating capacity in the period when Congress governments were in power. A
full 20 percent of the outlay for the Eighth Plan was devoted to this sector alone. The
Congress Government's decision to encourage the entry of private companies into this
sector has seen tremendous response -- by the time of the 1996 elections (and the coming
to power of the United Front government), nearly 140 projects aggregating about 66,000 MW
of new capacity and involving an investment of about Rs 250,000 crore were in various
stages of processing. Consider against this the nation's total generating capacity in 1951
of 1,712 MW! The field of oil exploration has seen significant success, with the country
developing capabilities for seismic surveying, reservoir engineering, design and
fabrication of offshore platforms, ocean engineering, etc. Attention has also been paid to
the development of renewable and alternative sources of energy like solar and wind energy.
From 20 universities and some 640 colleges during Independence, the number of
educational institutions in India has come up to 119 universities with 1,650 affiliated
colleges, five institutes of technology, 250 engineering and medical colleges and 350
polytechnics. The science and technology manpower has burgeoned into the third largest in
the world. Expenditure on R&D has increased from Rs 200 million in the First Plan to
about Rs 36,780 million in the Sixth (1980-85) -- which is about 0.6 per cent of the GNP.
Efforts of the Indian Council of Medical
Research have led to some commendable achievements: eradication of small pox, domiciliary
treatment of TB and advances in leprosy and malaria control. Under Mrs Gandhi’s
leadership, family planning and child welfare received special attention. One major input
in the area has been the development of a simple diagnostic kit for medical termination of
pregnancy. The National Health Policy, formulated in 1983, gave definite shape to the
country’s health care programmes and emphasised on the thrust areas. Attention is
also being paid to the development of Indian and traditional medical systems.