India's push toward technology-led development has found a fresh articulation in print — Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh published an op-ed in Dainik Jagran on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, laying out the case for science, technology and innovation as the primary engines of the country's growth journey, while highlighting the significance of #ESTIC2026.

The article, titled 'तकनीक आधारित विकास को गति' ('Accelerating Technology-Based Development'), argues for giving fresh momentum to India's development trajectory through science, technology and innovation. Dr. Singh simultaneously flagged the importance of ESTIC2026 — a national-level science and technology conclave — as a milestone event in that journey.

Why ESTIC2026 is drawing attention now

ESTIC2026, referenced prominently in the op-ed, is positioned as a high-stakes convergence point for India's scientific and innovation community. While full agenda details are still awaited, the Minister's decision to dedicate an editorial column to it signals that the government views the event as more than ceremonial — it is being framed as a policy-shaping moment for the country's technology roadmap.

Dr. Singh holds independent charge of both the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, in addition to his role in the Prime Minister's Office. His public framing of an event through a national Hindi-language daily is a deliberate outreach to a wide, vernacular readership — a signal that this agenda is not just for technocrats but for the broader citizenry.

India's long march toward R&D-led growth

The op-ed lands within a well-established policy arc. India's Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2013 first set out a structured framework to strengthen the national innovation ecosystem and scale up R&D investment. The National Education Policy 2020 deepened that commitment by weaving technology and innovation into the fabric of higher education and research. What has evolved over successive governments is a growing consensus: that India's path to developed-country status — the 'Viksit Bharat' ambition — runs squarely through indigenous technological capability, digital infrastructure and a vibrant startup-to-deep-science pipeline.

Publishing in Dainik Jagran, one of the largest-circulation Hindi dailies in northern and central India, rather than a niche policy journal, underscores a deliberate democratisation of the science-and-growth message — taking it beyond seminar rooms and into breakfast tables across the Hindi heartland.

What the scientific community will be watching

For researchers, innovators and policymakers, the key signals to track will emerge from ESTIC2026 itself — particularly any announcements around R&D funding targets, new institutional frameworks, or technology mission priorities. An op-ed by a Cabinet minister is often the opening note of a larger policy symphony; the crescendo typically arrives in budget allocations and formal scheme launches that follow.

If ESTIC2026 delivers actionable commitments on increasing India's gross expenditure on R&D — a metric that has long trailed comparable economies — the event could mark a genuine inflection point, not merely another milestone to commemorate.