Singapore’s first and legendary Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once told the Parliament, “If you have a political system that does not attract the best into government, then you are going to get second-rate people running the country, and you will get second-rate results.”
India faces the same challenge as it inches towards the 80th Independence Day. We need to conserve and promote our talent. Our growth, social progress and border security depend on it.
The exodus of more than 100 scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has brought the ominous reality to the fore. Unfortunately ISRO isn’t alone. Talent attrition is commonplace in the Indian Army, defence research organizations, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Keeping civil services aside, there’s a drought of talent from primary schools to medical colleges.
There are mainly two reasons for professionals leaving government institutions. The private sector pays two to five times more salary. In the government, regulations regarding retirement and other benefits remind you of the colonial times. To add salt to injury, the red tapism repeatedly reminds that the ‘Brown Sahibs’ have replaced the ‘White Sahibs’. Currently, India is witnessing a surge in defence, space and other critical technology sectors. This expanding opportunity is one of the main reasons for the exodus from the government sector. But how can this ‘brain drain’ be turned into ‘brain gain’?
We should look at the US, China and Europe to learn a few things.
In the US, the NASA and the defence department offer options to their scientists and technicians to work and earn with private agencies or contractors. Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are flourishing under the patronage of government agencies. In Europe, scientists and professors can work with private firms while they teach teaching in universities. This way they not only get government patronage but also a chance to increase their income.
China has a string of examples of ‘reverse brain drain’ from the last two decades. Beijing has more than 200 programmes running to attract researchers from around the world. The reforms got a definitive push in 2008 with the ‘thousand talent plan’, aimed at bringing back scientists and academicians of Chinese origin working in the West. Thousands of Chinese scientists have performed homecoming. Inspired by its success, Xi Jinping launched the Cuming Programme, offering one million yuan as a signing amount to youngsters who join government-run research programmes. If they work according to expectations, they are offered a salary of two to four million yuan. Scientists get startup grants of five to eight million yuan to set up laboratories.
In China, the government takes the responsibility of settling its scientists, researchers and their families. If any Nobel laureate or senior executive from Fortune 500 companies wants to settle in China, they are given VIP facilities and millions of dollars in grants.
The results of are visible. In just two decades, China has emerged as a global leader in futurist technologies.
A question arises what’s India doing in this direction?
Our government has initiated a ‘lateral entry’ programme and offered many facilities to promote the start-up ecosystem. Scientists working on Chandrayan and Ganganyan missions have received various awards for the first time. The Centre has set up an ‘InSpace’ institution which allows scientists to work with ISRO as well as contribute to the private sector. These schemes and start-up ecosystem has created a hopeful environment. Indian start-up Skyroot, whose founders Pavan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharat Daka earlier worked for ISRO, has created many milestones in a short span of four years. On 18 July 2026, they successfully launched Vikram-1 giving wings to India’s space ambitions.
However, the speed with which the world is moving ahead gives a clear message—we will have to create a composite structure that involves government agencies, corporate and startups without wasting a minute. I am reminded of famous industrialist Games Goldsmith. Advocating salary hike he had said, “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.”
The last 79 years have proved we have managed to save our democracy, sovereignty and social unity and are now aiming to become an economic superpower. Retaining and promoting talent is the way to achieve it. We should make it a pledge on the 80th Independence Day.
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.