In 2023, while much of the world was fixated on elections, wars, and artificial intelligence, India quietly launched something far more consequential: its National Quantum Mission (NQM). Two years on, this initiative deserves to be recognised for what it is—one of the boldest bets any country has placed on its scientific future.

When I listened recently to Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on National Space Day, I could not help but think of the NQM. If India can sustain its ambition here, it may run at “6G speed”—rewriting not just its own destiny but also the balance of global innovation.

I write this not as a politician or policymaker but as a physicist who has watched the “quantum race” unfold across continents. What India has embarked upon is not merely a research programme; it is a declaration of intent. It says: we will not remain passive consumers of tomorrow’s technologies; we will build them ourselves.

Approved in April 2023, the NQM is an eight-year, Rs 6,000 crore ($730 million) effort to make India a global hub for quantum science. Its focus spans four frontier areas—quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, and quantum materials.

People often consider “quantum” as pure science fiction. But it’s real. In this strange world, the rules are nothing like what we see every day. A tiny particle can be in two states at once—like a light switch that is both on and off at the same time.

Even more surprising, two particles can stay connected so that if one changes, the other reacts instantly, even if they are miles........

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