Mr. Sanjay Agrawal, Head Presales and CTO, Hitachi Vantara India and SAARC
As India marks National Technology Day 2026, the narrative is evolving from digital adoption to digital leadership. The country is rapidly emerging as a key pillar of the global innovation architecture, powered by its scale of data, depth of talent, and the maturity of its digital infrastructure.
At the heart of this shift is the recognition of data as critical national infrastructure. As enterprises and governments move from fragmented systems to unified, AI-ready data platforms, the focus is turning to how data can be activated in real time to drive intelligent decision-making. This is also accelerating industrial digitization across manufacturing, energy, and mobility, where the convergence of IT and OT is enabling greater efficiency, resilience, and operational agility. AI, in this context, is no longer experimental but embedded into core processes, delivering tangible economic outcomes.
Looking ahead, India’s growth trajectory will be defined by how effectively it governs and scales this data ecosystem with trust, sustainability, and inclusivity at its core. Building a resilient innovation ecosystem will require deeper alignment across policy, platforms, and partnerships. Done right, India is uniquely positioned not just to participate in global technology shifts, but to shape them and set new benchmarks for inclusive, data-led growth.
Mr. Subhakar Pappula, Founder & CEO, Flamingo Aerospace
“As India marks National Technology Day 2026, the country’s innovation ambitions are increasingly being reflected in sectors with long term strategic impact. Among them, civil aviation is emerging as a pivotal frontier for translating connectivity into capability. India has already operationalised over 500 regional routes under UDAN, unlocking sustained demand across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The next logical step is to build the aircraft that will serve this demand.
With India on track to become the world’s third largest aviation market, the requirement for 60 to 80 seat regional aircraft is expected to rise sharply over the next decade. This presents a strategic opportunity to develop a domestic manufacturing ecosystem spanning airframes, avionics integration, interiors, and MRO. What is encouraging in 2026 is the shift towards more structured technology transfer models and deeper collaboration between global OEMs and Indian industry, enabling capability building rather than just assembly.
At Flamingo Aerospace, we see this as a defining decade. The focus must now move towards design ownership, digital engineering, and supply chain resilience to ensure that value creation remains within India. Building indigenous regional aircraft is not only about reducing import dependence, but about creating scalable, cost efficient solutions for emerging aviation markets globally. If India can align policy, capital, and engineering talent effectively, it has the potential to become a credible hub for civil aircraft manufacturing and a key pillar of a truly innovation led Viksit Bharat.”
