5 February 2026·PIB

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: R&D EXPENDITURE

In this note

1. At a Glance

GERD (Gross Expenditure on R&D) in India is 0.6–0.7% of GDP, well below the OECD average (~2.7%) and major peers; flagged in a Parliament Question reply by Ministry of Science & Technology on 05 Feb 2026 [1].
India's Global Innovation Index (GII) rank rose from 81st (2015) → 38th (2025), but absolute R&D spend remains the binding constraint on tech-manufacturing ambitions [1].
Examiner-relevant because it ties GS-III S&T + Economy to live schemes — ANRF, ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund, National Quantum Mission [1][2][3].

Lok Sabha unstarred question answered 05 Feb 2026 by MoS S&T Dr Jitendra Singh placing GERD at 0.6–0.7% of GDP on record [1].
RDI Scheme (₹1 lakh crore) approved by Union Cabinet on 01 Jul 2025 and launched 03 Nov 2025 — operationalisation rolling out through 2025-26 [3].
ANRF Act, 2023 came into force 05 Feb 2024; Executive Council took key operationalisation decisions in 2025 [2][3].

Science Policy Resolution 1958 → Technology Policy Statement 1983 → STIP drafts 2020 — historical aspiration to raise GERD to 2% of GDP never met.
2013 STI Policy target: lift GERD to 2% by end of 12th Plan — missed; share stagnant at ~0.7% [1].
NEP 2020 recommended establishment of National Research Foundation.
Anusandhan NRF Bill passed by Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha in Aug 2023; Act commenced 05 Feb 2024 [2].
RDI Scheme approved 2025 to crowd-in private R&D, which contributes <40% of GERD in India vs >65% in OECD [3].

GERD: 0.6–0.7% of GDP [1].
GII rank: 38th (2025); 81st (2015) — published by WIPO [1].
Nodal ministry: Ministry of Science & Technology (Department of Science & Technology — DST) [1][2].
ANRF:
Set up under Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023 [2].
In force: 05 Feb 2024 [2].
Five-year (2023-28) corpus target: ₹50,000 crore — of which ₹14,000 crore from Central Govt, remainder from private/PSU/philanthropic/international sources [2].
BE 2024-25: ₹2,000 crore; RE 2024-25: ₹966 crore [2].
Subsumes the erstwhile Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) [2].
RDI Scheme:
Corpus ₹1,00,000 crore over 6 years [3].
Two-tier: Special Purpose Fund (SPF) within ANRF → 2nd-tier fund managers as long-tenor, low/nil-interest loans [3].
Cabinet approval 01 Jul 2025, launch 03 Nov 2025 [3].
Sunrise sectors: energy transition, quantum, robotics, space, AI, biotech/biomanufacturing, pharma & med devices, digital economy [3].
National Quantum Mission — flagship referenced in the PIB reply [1].

Economic

Low GERD/GDP correlates with weak private-sector R&D — RDI Fund aims to crowd-in industry via concessional debt [3].
₹1 lakh crore RDI corpus channelled through ANRF reduces market-failure gap in long-gestation deep-tech [3].

Scientific / Technological

Sunrise basket (quantum, AI, biomanufacturing, space) aligns with National Quantum Mission and Semiconductor Mission [1][3].
ANRF mandate covers universities, colleges, R&D labs — addresses thin research base outside elite IITs/IISc [2].

Administrative / Governance

ANRF chaired by Prime Minister; Union Ministers of S&T and Education are ex-officio Vice-Presidents — high political signalling but raises capacity-vs-autonomy questions [2].
72% of ANRF five-year corpus expected from non-government sources — execution risk if private mobilisation lags [2].

Geopolitical / Strategic

Closing GERD gap is framed as prerequisite to "high-tech manufacturing hub" positioning vis-à-vis China (GERD ~2.4%) and US (~3.5%) [1].
GII jump 81→38 used as soft-power metric in multilateral S&T diplomacy [1].

05 Feb 2024 — ANRF Act commences [2].
01 Jul 2025 — Union Cabinet approves RDI Scheme (₹1 lakh crore) [3].
03 Nov 2025 — RDI Scheme launched [3].
2025 — ANRF Executive Council approves operationalisation decisions on RDI Fund [3].
05 Feb 2026 — Parliament reply reiterates GERD at 0.6-0.7% and GII at 38 [1].

India's GERD = 0.6–0.7% of GDP as per Feb 2026 MoS&T reply [1].
India's GII 2025 rank = 38; was 81 in 2015 [1].
GII is published by WIPO (not WEF, not UNESCO) [1].
ANRF Act enacted 2023; came into force 05 Feb 2024 [2].
ANRF five-year corpus = ₹50,000 crore (2023-28); Centre's share ₹14,000 crore [2].
ANRF subsumes SERB [2].
ANRF President = Prime Minister ex-officio [2].
RDI Scheme corpus = ₹1 lakh crore over 6 years [3].
RDI Cabinet approval — 01 July 2025; launch — 03 Nov 2025 [3].
RDI funds routed via a Special Purpose Fund (SPF) inside ANRF [3].
Nodal ministry for ANRF & RDI = Ministry of Science & Technology / DST [1][2].
National Quantum Mission falls under DST [1].

GS-III: "Science & Technology — developments and their applications and effects in everyday life"; "Indian Economy — mobilization of resources."
GS-II: Government policies and interventions; statutory bodies (ANRF).
Plausible question stems: 1. "Despite a sharp rise in the Global Innovation Index ranking, India's R&D expenditure remains stubbornly below 1% of GDP. Examine the structural reasons and evaluate recent measures like ANRF and the RDI Scheme." (15 marks) 2. "The Anusandhan National Research Foundation marks a paradigm shift from grant-based to mission-mode research funding. Discuss." (10 marks) 3. "Crowding-in private investment is central to India's R&D ambitions. Critically assess the design of the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Scheme." (15 marks)

National Quantum Mission (2023) — flagship sunrise-tech mission [1].
National Education Policy 2020 — recommended NRF [2].
Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) draft — sets 2% GERD goal.
SERB Act 2008 — body subsumed by ANRF [2].
Semiconductor Mission / ISM — complementary deep-tech push.
PRIP Scheme (Pharma R&D) — sectoral R&D push under DoP.
Global Innovation Index — WIPO methodology [1].
Atal Innovation Mission / Startup India — innovation pipeline upstream of RDI.

ANRF ≠ NRF (USA); Indian ANRF created by Act of 2023, not by Cabinet resolution.
GII is published by WIPO, not WEF/UNESCO/World Bank — common Prelims trap.
ANRF's Centre share is ₹14,000 cr, not the full ₹50,000 cr — examiners frequently swap these.
RDI Scheme corpus ₹1,00,000 cr is over 6 years, not annual; loans, not grants.
SERB has been subsumed, not merely renamed — confusing with continuing schemes.
GERD figure 0.6-0.7% — do not confuse with public R&D spend alone or with DST budget.