Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that India is making significant strides towards becoming a global leader in 6G technology, backed by a robust research and innovation ecosystem nurtured under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Responding to a parliamentary query, the Minister highlighted the operationalisation of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) in February 2024 under the leadership of the Prime Minister. Established through an Act of Parliament, the Foundation aims to accelerate research and innovation across scientific and engineering domains. It is governed by a Governing Council and an Executive Council to ensure transparent and effective decision-making.
ANRF to Drive Research with Rs 50,000 Crore Funding
Scindia stated that the ANRF aims to receive funds amounting to Rs 50,000 crore during 2023-28 in the form of ANRF Fund, Innovation Fund, Science and Engineering Research Fund, Special Purpose Funds. A budgetary provision of Rs 14,000 crore is made from the Central Government and remaining amount will be sourced through donations from any other source, including from public sector enterprises, the private sector, philanthropist organisations, foundations or international bodies.
The Minister noted that the funding will support key national programmes such as the Mission for Advancement in High Impact Areas, EV Mission, 2D Innovation Hub, MedTech Mission, AI for Science and Engineering, and the CRM Research Programme. Additionally, grant schemes like the Advanced Research Grant, Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant, and Inclusivity Research Grant have been introduced to widen participation in research.
To strengthen the innovation ecosystem, several institutional mechanisms have been put in place, including Centres of Excellence Convergence, a Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, the Partnership for Accelerated Innovation and Research, and the ANRF Transnational Research Innovation Hub. Approximately Rs 300 crore has been allocated towards fellowships and related initiatives, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Communications dated March 25, 2026.
Progress of 6G
On the 6G front, Scindia underscored the rapid expansion of the Bharat 6G Alliance, which has grown from 14 to 85 member institutions, representing telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, startups, academia, and research bodies. The Alliance functions as a collaborative platform to drive indigenous 6G development in alignment with the national vision.
Seven working groups have been constituted within the Alliance, focusing on spectrum, devices, technology and components, alliances, sustainability, outreach, and 6G use cases. He noted that “quarterly analysis of all seven working groups is undertaken by the Ministry to ensure steady progress.”
Scindia further informed that India aims to contribute nearly 10 per cent of global 6G patents, with around 4,000 patents already contributed. India’s proposal on ubiquitous connectivity has also been accepted by international bodies such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Concluding his statement, Scindia reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to technological leadership, stating that the Ministry remains confident that India will emerge as a global leader in 6G technology.
1 Lakh Crore RDI Scheme to Boost Emerging Technologies
The Minister further highlighted the government’s Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme, aimed at boosting private sector participation in critical and emerging technology areas. These include energy transition, deep technologies such as quantum computing and robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and the digital economy, including areas such as digital agriculture.
Providing further details, Scindia said the Bharat 6G Alliance has released a “Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India,” while the Department of Telecommunications has also issued a comprehensive roadmap following stakeholder consultations.
6G Terahertz Testbed
He also informed the House about the approval of a 6G terahertz testbed project at Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), Kolkata, in collaboration with IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Patna. The project has already demonstrated a high-speed wireless link achieving data rates of 6,400 megabytes per second over a 270 GHz frequency band at the India Mobile Congress 2025.
