Abstract
From a starving nation in 1947 when we got our independence, India has become self-sufficient in food. In Atomic Energy, India has achieved capabilities spanning the entire nuclear cycle i.e. from exploration, to production of fuel elements for reactors, to construction of power reactors, reprocessing of spent fuels and waste management. In Indian Space Research programme, with the launch of our first satellite "Aryabhata" to the launch of several series of INSAT satellites, has been a great achievement. In electronics, all the equipment presently required for air defence, consisting of radars of various types, troposcatter, cable and microwave communication links, data handling system are all of Indian manufacture. In oil and natural gas sector, there has been remarkable technological and manufacturing achievements across the entire spectrum. In health, the crude mortality rate has declined from 32 per 1000 population to less than 8 today; the infant mortality rate of 40 per 1000 live births has decreased from over 135. Life expectancy has risen from 32 years in 1947 to over 62 years now Achievements and short-comings of the Indian Science and technology will be discussed. [J Radiat Res 44:371 (2003)]
