Robots, which are broadly classified for industrial and service, present a significant opportunity for the country’s industries. The operational stock of industrial robots in India, for example, has more than doubled between 2016 and 2021 to reach 33,220 units, the ministry of electronics and information technology said in the draft.
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Despite these advancements, there is a general lack of adoption and growth of the robotics ecosystem in India, the draft noted, adding that the primary challenges are high import dependence, costly hardware components, and insufficient investments in research and development.
For example, robots consist of several small and large technologically complex parts and must be assembled in a precise and coordinated manner. This requires engineering expertise and attention to details to ensure the final product meets the specified performance standards.
“The Indian robotics ecosystem is facing growth impediments due to a dearth of technical expertise and skilled resources. The limited availability of technically proficient engineers and technicians equipped with the necessary skills to design, develop, and maintain robots is a significant challenge,” the ministry said in the draft.
Apart from the challenges of import dependence and costly hardware components, the absence of dedicated legislation for robotics or allied technologies such as artificial intelligence adds to the “privacy and security risks”, which also hinders the widespread adoption of robotics.
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“As indigenous use cases for robotics evolve, it is pertinent to establish as well as adapt standards and certifications contextualised to the Indian ecosystem requirements,” the ministry said. To solve these problems, the draft has suggested the setting up of a Robotics Innovation Unit, an independent agency under the IT ministry. The unit will have a dedicated and specialised team of technical experts and innovation specialists, who will support the creation of domestic capabilities across the robotics value chain through funding and other institutional support.
The government may also formulate a new production or design-linked incentive scheme “to offset ecosystem costs and high capex requirements of the robotics industry”.
“A roadmap may be prepared in consultation with the industry to analyse the tariff structures for robots and build a tariff schedule to progressively increase economies of scale and value addition in India. This will ensure policy stability and thereby support planning considerations for manufacturers in India,” the draft suggested.
