Myth #6: “India = technological backwardness” — short and honest

Elena Bashagina
Sep 23
9 min read

(an epic about QR codes and rocket fuel 🚀💳)

If you believe Soviet textbooks, certain YouTube videos, and Marya Ivanovna — the geography teacher who used to poke a globe with her pointer while speaking rather dismissively about a “third-world country” — then in India nothing noteworthy has happened in the last two thousand years:

they merely swapped horses for tuk-tuks and, thanks to Gandhi, expelled the British, which allegedly brought electricity to the cities.

In reality — right now before your eyes — this is a country where electronic payments have almost fully displaced cash, rockets and satellites head to the Moon and other planets of the Solar System, and delivery apps often beat you to it before you even manage to tap “Cancel” in the interface.

⚡️ Quick primer: myths vs facts

📈 Economy. India is top-5 by nominal GDP and top-3 by PPP; growth rests on industry, IT exports, the domestic market, and mega-infrastructure projects. Plus a hyper-fast-growing e-commerce: total online sales already ≈$150–180 bn/yr; key players — Flipkart, Amazon India, Meesho, Myntra, AJIO, Nykaa, JioMart, Tata Cliq. Quick-commerce (Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart) closes the last mile in 10–15 minutes across metros; basic delivery slots often cost ₹19–49 or are included in subscriptions. Inter-city and inter-state delivery — via Delhivery, Ecom Express, Blue Dart, Xpressbees, India Post: coverage across 20,000+ PIN codes, rates from ₹40–60/kg with promos/subscriptions. ONDC is rolling out — an open network letting sellers and couriers interoperate across platforms without closed “walled gardens”.
📱 Electronics. A global leader in smartphone assembly; local supply chains are growing (from PCBs to final assembly), and smartphone exports break records year after year. For the first time all four iPhone 17 models for the U.S. market are assembled in India (Foxconn/Tata, Pegatron) — a careful yet telling shift in global supply chains; other markets and some components still depend on China/SEA.
🚄 Rail & urban transport. Semi-high-speed Vande Bharat (up to 160 km/h) are designed and assembled in India; MAHSR (Mumbai–Ahmedabad) is under construction using Shinkansen tech (operating 320 km/h, first priority section targeted for 2027). Delhi Metro is among Asia’s largest and busiest 🇮🇳 (≈395 km), with a record 8.19 mln rides/day; a growing fleet of e-buses (thousands) and the Namo Bharat RRTS regional express (up to 160 km/h) are in service.
🚀 Space. India is a spacefaring nation: Chandrayaan-3 soft-landed near the Moon’s south pole (23 Aug 2023); Aditya-L1 solar observatory operates at the L1 halo orbit (since 6 Jan 2024); Axiom-4 carried an Indian astronaut to the ISS (summer 2025). Gaganyaan: in-flight abort TV-D1 completed (21 Oct 2023), first uncrewed G1 slated for 2025, crewed mission targeted for 2027; on the roadmap — LUPEX, Chandrayaan-4 (lunar sample return), a national space station by 2035, and an Indian on the Moon by 2040.
🤖 Artificial Intelligence. The IndiaAI Mission: public GPU clusters, support for LLMs and startups; a domestic “school” of instruction-tuned models and applied AI for finance, healthcare, and logistics is taking shape.
🚗⚡ Auto & e-mobility. Tata (owner of Jaguar Land Rover), Mahindra (world’s #1 by tractor volume; strong SUV/pickup exports), and new e-2W players — e.g., Ultraviolette F77 (exporting to Europe).
🏗️ Steel & materials. India is top-3 in crude steel output; large integrated mills and fast-growing downstream (auto-grade, stainless, long products). Exports of semis and finished steel are rising steadily.
💊💉 Pharma. ≈20% of global generic exports; among the largest vaccine producers by volume; strong in APIs and contract manufacturing for global brands.
☢️ Nuclear energy & nuclear status. India is a nuclear power (tests: 1974, 1998; NFU doctrine with caveats). Civilian nuclear in 2025: ≈25 reactors, ≈8.9 GW installed; ≈8.7 GW under construction/approved (serial PHWR 700 MW: Kakrapar, Rajasthan-7/8, Gorakhpur-1/2, Kaiga-5/6; plus Kudankulam-3/4/5/6 VVER). Government plan — triple capacity by 2031–32 (≈22.5 GW). New builds follow a fleet mode (e.g., Mahi Banswara-1–4 in Rajasthan).
💸 Digital payments & mobile banking. UPI is the world’s largest instant-payments system by volume: in 2025 ≈20 bn transactions/month (≈650–700 mln/day), hundreds of millions of QRs, 650+ banks, tens of millions of merchants; features include UPI Lite, AutoPay, Credit Cards on UPI, 123PAY, AePS, plus cross-border links.

🤯 10 digital facts that blow the “backwardness” myth away

A payments planet. In Aug 2025 UPI processed 20+ bn transactions (NPCI) — global-scale infrastructure by volume and number of participating banks (≈688).
EV charging: ×5 in two years. ≈30,000 public EV charge points (as of May 2025) — roughly a 5× increase in ≈24 months (BEE/MoP).
5G almost everywhere. By mid-2025, 486,000+ 5G base stations; coverage across 99.6% of districts.
Mobile internet like air. Ericsson/ET: India is #1 globally in per-capita data consumption (≈32 GB/month); 5G base ≈290 mln by end-2024, on track to ≈980 mln by 2030.
Pharma & vaccines at global scale. Serum Institute of India — the world’s largest vaccine producer, capacity up to 4 bn doses/yr, supplies to 170+ countries.
Autos on steroids. In 2024 India produced ≈6.01 mln vehicles (passenger + commercial) — top-3 worldwide; 2025 outlook +4–6%. Two-wheelers may reach ≈30 mln units in 2025.
Smartphones — almost fully local. In 2025 India will buy ≈160 mln smartphones, with ≈99% of devices sold in-country assembled locally.
Solar factory of the world. India surpassed 100 GW of PV module manufacturing capacity (not installed generation) and is a global leader in build-out pace; installed solar capacity places India steadily in the top-5/6.
Digital ID on steroids. Aadhaar processed 2.84 bn authentications in Jan 2025 (≈92 mln/day, +32% YoY); face-auth ≈159 mln in June 2025. That’s mass-scale KYC/e-KYC across banks, e-gov and subsidy programs.
Demographic engine. India has ≈1.0 bn people of working age — the largest “human capital” pool for the digital economy and industry.

💡 Digital everyday life: what people actually use

💸 Payments: the UPI-verse

— Phone-number or QR transfers in seconds: tea stalls, fishermen on the jetty, buses, temples.

— Merchant onboarding at scale: QRs everywhere; everyday fees are symbolic or zero.

— AePS biometric terminals let you pay/withdraw by fingerprint — even without a smartphone.

— Security & disputes: UPI-ODR handles customer disputes/chargebacks at supported banks/apps; limits/risks depend on KYC level and user profile.

🗂️ E-government services

— DigiLocker — your official document wallet: driver’s license, RC, passports/visas, diplomas, certificates — all with legal force. What it gives you: eKYC and loan/forms in minutes (eSign/eStamp), no photocopies or “bring the original”; for business — instant staff/customer document checks, lower risk and less paper archiving.

— Vahan/Parivahan (and mParivahan) — vehicle registration/transfer, ownership change, fines — online; digital DL/RC accepted by traffic police. What it gives you: buy/sell without queues or RTO run-around, fine/insurance alerts; for business — fleet management, VIN/tax/status checks in minutes, fewer downtime losses.

— e-Visa, taxes/bills, eSanjeevani telemedicine — visas online, GST/ITR payments from apps, free video consults and e-prescriptions. What it gives you: hours/days saved and access from villages; for business — fewer lost hours (remote consultations), simpler reporting, transparent payments without “paper trails”.

📶 Internet & connectivity

— 5G rolled out at speed: coverage across most districts; median mobile speeds in the global upper quartile. What it gives you: stable video calls/streaming, 5G FWA for homes without fiber while FTTH (JioFiber/Airtel Xstream) grows in cities; remote work/study without dropouts; fast upload for creators; for business — IoT/telemetry in transport/warehousing, private 5G on shop floors/ports, AR for service/training, precise tracking and navigation.

— Low-cost data (among the world’s lowest per-GB) and ubiquitous Jio/Airtel. What it gives SMBs/creators: direct sales via ONDC/messengers, ads for “rupees a day”, reach across any PIN code without your own warehouses. For households: seamless UPI, low-cost video courses and telemedicine, couriers and marketplaces that actually work “in the field”, plan competition, and real savings.

📦 Delivery & marketplaces

— Marketplaces & e-retail: ≈13–15 mln parcels/day (FY2025 Redseer estimate: 4.8–5.5 bn/yr ÷ 365).

— Quick-commerce (Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart): ≈4.1–4.5 mln orders/day (Mar 2025; Moneycontrol); 10–15-minute SLAs in metros, base slots often ₹19–49 or subscription-included.

— Restaurant food (Zomato + Swiggy): ≈4–6 mln orders/day (reconstructed from Zomato quarterly GOV and typical AOV; Outlook Business); e-grocery share is rising.

— Mail (India Post): ≈24 mln items/day (Speed Post + Registered, FY2024–25). Not parcels, but very real daily delivery.— Total: broad definition (anything a courier/post brings) — ≈45–50 mln deliveries/day; parcel-only categories — ≈21–26 mln/day.

Key platforms: Flipkart, Amazon India, Meesho, Myntra, AJIO, Nykaa, JioMart; 3PL: Delhivery, Ecom Express, Blue Dart, Xpressbees; national operator: India Post; ONDC — the “open layer” connecting apps and logistics.

What it gives people/business: people — access to goods/services “from the phone” nearly anywhere (20,000+ PINs), easy returns and predictable ETAs; business — national demand “one click away”, fast expansion via ONDC/3PL, shorter cash cycles (UPI lowers COD share), inventory run by data and real demand.

🌍 5 Indian brands you already know (quick & to the point)

Tata (Tata Group) — multi-sector (steel, autos, IT). Known for: owner of Jaguar Land Rover; domestic bestsellers Tata Nexon/Harrier and fast-growing Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (Nexon EV/Curvv).
Mahindra (Mahindra Group) — autos, farm equipment, energy. Known for: iconic Scorpio-N/Thar exports; #1 in the world by tractor volume; building out EVs (Mahindra XUV400).
TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) — India’s largest IT outsourcer. Known for: global digital-transformation programs (banking/aviation/retail); the TCS BaNCS core-banking/payments stack used by dozens of international banks.
Reliance Jio (Jio Platforms) — telecom giant + digital ecosystem. Known for: mass-scale Jio 4G/5G (hundreds of millions of users), JioFiber (FTTH), and one-platform super-apps for content/payments/commerce.
Serum Institute of India (SII) — biotech & vaccines. Known for: world’s largest vaccine producer (up to 4 bn doses/yr); portfolio from Covishield to MenAfriVac, supplies to 170+ countries.

🌴 Kerala: where the South pulls the future forward (Kochi • Thiruvananthapuram • Kozhikode)

Why this matters in a “tech India” story: Kerala leads India in literacy and ranks high in health and education. That yields a rare combo: high “digital readiness” + fast adoption (UPI, e-gov, telemedicine) + expanding IT campuses. A quick map of three anchors:

Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

— Technopark — one of India’s largest IT parks: ≈75–85 thsd jobs, ≈0.93–1.11 mln m² of offices; hundreds of firms from product to services.— ISRO / VSSC — launch vehicles and systems; nearby TERLS (equatorial range at Thumba).

— Vizhinjam International Seaport — deep-water transshipment hub (~20 m depth; among India’s deepest), creating a logistics/industry corridor.

What this gives: engineering jobs, demand for services/housing, the space ↔ electronics ↔ IT linkage, and fast export/import via the port.

Kochi

— Infopark + SmartCity — together ≈70–80 thsd IT jobs; scalable campuses; growing product squads.

— Cochin International Airport (CIAL) — world’s first fully solar-powered international airport.— Kochi Water Metro — India’s first water metro (electric catamarans, integrated with Kochi Metro).

— Vallarpadam ICTT — international container transshipment terminal in a natural harbor.

What this gives: a strong IT-services & logistics hub, fast growth in e-com/3PL, quality urban transit, and international connectivity.

Kozhikode (Calicut)— Cyberpark / UL CyberPark

— IT campuses for North Kerala; growing employment in dev/support.

— UNESCO Creative City (Literature) — boosts the brand for creative industries and ed-tech.

— Medical clusters — major hospitals and tele-med services; gateway to northern districts and nearby Kannur/Wayanad.

What this gives: balance of IT and creative work, talent retention in the north, services for the MENA diaspora via Calicut Airport.

Where Kerala stands in “tech India”

— IT employment/exports: below the giants (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune/Mumbai, Chennai, NCR) yet upper half among states thanks to Technopark/Infopark and steady growth in GCC/product teams.

— Human capital (literacy/health/schools): #1 in literacy, HDI top-3–5 among states — accelerates deep adoption of digital services.

— E-gov & broadband: strong: K-FON (fiber-to-homes incl. affordable access), high everyday UPI/QR usage, telemedicine and DigiLocker widely adopted.

Kerala is “God’s Own Country” riding the locomotive of progress — and it’s not slowing down.

🧭 Where India sprints — and where it lags (info-box)

Leaders (states/clusters): Karnataka (Bengaluru), Telangana (Hyderabad), Maharashtra (Pune/Mumbai), Tamil Nadu (Chennai/Coimbatore), Delhi-NCR (Gurugram/Noida), Gujarat (electronics/semis, port logistics).Laggards (for now): Bihar; parts of Uttar Pradesh (beyond the Noida corridor); Jharkhand; Odisha; several North-Eastern states.Top city-drivers: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Delhi-NCR (Gurugram/Noida), Mumbai; catching up fast — Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore, Indore.

Why it works this way:

Large metros + airports/ports → access to talent and markets.
Aggressive incentives (land, GST breaks, PLI, capex-matching) → fast factory/data-center ramp-up.
Strong schools/universities → GCC and R&D inflows.
Deep penetration of digital services & 5G/FTTH → higher productivity.
In lagging states: weaker urbanization/infrastructure and weaker program execution.

✨ Bottom line & outlook (for gods, mortals, and Marya Ivanovna)

India hasn’t been an outsider for a long time. It’s a country where the digital economy grows double-digit, QR payments are everyday from tea stalls to hospitals, iPhone 17 units for the U.S. are assembled, semi- and high-speed trains are built, and the space program keeps ticking off lunar and solar milestones.

Yes, not everyone keeps up: some e-gov interfaces “break your Zen,” regional disparities are real, and many grads still need on-the-job upskilling. But the trend is clear: each quarter — less paper, more APIs. The next decades look cautiously optimistic: more electronics and solar factories, broader 5G/FTTH, more R&D centers, and more home-grown tech brands. If you trust today’s reality rather than a 1983 textbook — India is moving fast. Sometimes too fast for Marya Ivanovna’s pointer to notice.

🔗 Useful links & sources

Economy & industry

IMF World Economic Outlook (GDP rankings) — https://www.imf.org

World Bank Data (India GDP, PPP) — https://data.worldbank.org

OICA (Vehicle Production Statistics) — https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/

Space (ISRO)

Chandrayaan-3 Mission — https://www.isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan3_New.html

Aditya-L1 Mission — https://www.isro.gov.in/Aditya_L1.html

Gaganyaan / Test Vehicle Abort (TV-D1) — https://www.isro.gov.in

Axiom-4 Mission Overview — https://www.axiomspace.com

Transport & HSR/Metro

NHSRCL (MAHSR: Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail) — https://www.nhsrcl.in