Govt Approves Rs 6,003-Cr National Quantum Mission: What Will It Achieve?

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) at an estimated of Rs 6,003 crore for eight years (2023-24 to 2030-31).

Announcing the government’s decision, Union Science & Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said it will give India “a quantum jump” in the field.

India will join an elite group of six countries — the US, Canada, China, France, Austria and Finland — which are researching quantum technology.

Quantum technology is a field of physics and engineering which applies principles of quantum mechanics — a branch of physics that describes the behaviour of matter and energy at a microscopic scale — to the development of new technologies, according to an India Today report.

Quantum technology — which includes quantum computing, quantum cryptography and quantum sensing — offers unique security on encryption, making quantum communication hack-proof.

India’s NQM, to be led by the Department of Science & Technology under a mission director, will see four thematic hubs being established in different institutions across the country to boost research and development in the field.

The target is to develop intermediate scale quantum computers with 50-1000 physical qubits in 8 years in various platforms like superconducting and photonic technology, a PIB Cabinet release stated.

Satellite-based secure quantum communications between ground stations over a range of 2000 kilometres within India, long-distance secure quantum communications with other countries, inter-city quantum key distribution over 2000 km and multi-node Quantum network with quantum memories are some of the deliverables of the mission.

It will help develop magnetometers with high sensitivity in atomic systems and atomic clocks for precision timing, communications and navigation.

It will also support design and synthesis of quantum materials like superconductors, novel semiconductor structures and topological materials for fabrication of quantum devices.

Single photon sources/detectors, entangled photon sources will be developed for quantum communications, sensing and metrological applications.

The government will form a Mission Secretariat with a governing body to steer the work under leadership of scientists from the quantum field. Mission Technology Research Council will work as a scientific advisory body for the governing body.