First Industrial Revolution was triggered by invention of steam engine. Second Industrial Revolution was
catalysed by electricity and assembly line which made mass production feasible. The Third Industrial
Revolution, from 1960 onwards, has been driven by computers, digital technology and internet.
Today we are in the phase of Fourth Industrial Revolution. Following ten technologies are transforming
industrial production in current phase. These are also new areas of employment:-
• Autonomous Robots. These are intelligent machines capable of performing tasks in the world by
themselves, without explicit human control.
• Artificial Intelligence. AI is the theory and development of computer systems which are able to
perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech
recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. It allows computers and
machines to function in an intelligent manner.
• Simulation. It is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system. If we want to
simulate something it first requires that a model be developed. This model represents the key
characteristics, behaviors and functions of the selected physical or abstract system or process.
For example a Flight Simulator where a person learns how to fly an aircraft.
• Big Data and Analytics. It examines large amounts of data to uncover hidden patterns,
correlations and other insights. With today’s technology it is possible to analyze your data and
get answers from it almost immediately. It is much faster and accurate than traditional business
intelligence solutions. For example Big data Analytics has helped healthcare industry improve its
services by providing personalized medicine and prescriptive analytics, clinical risk intervention
and predictive analytics. It has improved upon internal reporting of patient data, standardized
medical terms etc.
• Augmented Reality. AR is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment
whose elements are “augmented” by computer-generated perceptual information, ideally
across multiple sensory modalities. From social media filters, to surgical procedures, AR is
rapidly growing in popularity because it brings elements of the virtual world, into our real world,
thus enhancing the things we see, hear, and feel.
• The Cloud. The Cloud is a network of servers, and each server has a different function. Some
servers use computing power to run applications or deliver a service. For example, when you
take a picture on your smart phone, it is stored on your phone’s internal memory drive.
However, when you upload the photos to Instagram, you are uploading it to the cloud. The
business decision to “move to the cloud” is often financially motivated. Companies used to have
to buy their own hardware equipment, the value of which depreciated over time. But now with
the cloud, companies only have to pay for what they use. This model makes it easy to quickly
scale use up or down.
• Cyber Security. Cyber Security or Information Technology Security are the techniques of
protecting computers, networks, programs and data from unauthorized access or attacks that
are aimed for exploitation. Major areas covered in cyber security are Application Security,
Information Security and Disaster Recovery.
• Additive Manufacturing. Additive Manufacturing refers to a process by which digital 3D design
data is used to build up a component in layers by depositing material. The term “3D Printing” is
increasingly used as a synonym for Additive Manufacturing. There are a number of different
sub-types of additive manufacturing namely 3D Printing, Rapid Prototyping and Direct Digital
Manufacturing (DDM).
• Horizontal and Vertical Integration. It is type of business model. Horizontal Integration, is a
consolidation of many firms that handle the same part of the production process. But in Vertical
Integration one single firm engages in different parts of production like sourcing/growing raw
materials, manufacturing, transporting, marketing and retailing.
• The Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing
devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects and people that are provided with unique
identifiers. IoT has the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-tohuman
or human-to-computer interaction. The Internet of things (IoT) may be the network of
physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics,
software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity which enable these objects to connect and
exchange data.
Effect on Employment due to Fourth Industrial Revolution
• Robots and Artificial Intelligence present threat to employment.
• A McKinsey report estimates job loss for 400 to 800 million people. They will be displaced by
automation as early as 2030.
• As per PwC report AI will contribute as much as $15.7 trillion to world economy by 2030. It is
almost seven times present GDP of India and almost equivalent to GDP of USA.
• As per Accenture report AI has potential to add $957 Billion to India’s economy by 2035.
Re-skilling and Revamping of education system
• There is severe shortage of skilled manpower
• India needs massive up gradation programmes in new technologies
• There is urgent need of re-skilling and training.
• Students currently studying in schools will enter job market in next few years.
• We need to create highly flexible and adaptive workforce.
• The workforce must be multi skilled and should have capacity to undertake digital tasks, even
from multiple locations and not only from office.
What should Indian Education System and Indian Schools do?
• Realign India’s education system.
• Emphasize skills rather than mere degrees.
• The schools must redefine their curriculum and approach to practical education.
• Move towards hands on learning on practical subjects.
Current Status
• A beginning has been made through Atal Innovation Mission. It gives opportunity to realize the
potential of young innovators. NITI Aayog selects candidates and engages them as Experts in
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
• As per Government of India policy, by 2018 end, around 2400 schools will have Tinkering Labs.
This number will only increase exponentially.
• The number of schools becomes huge when we include private schools also in this list. Private
schools are better placed to participate in this programme.
• These labs will have robots, 3D printers, additive machineries and internet of things.
• A huge number of schools will need robotic training aids and mentors.
• Students from Class VI onwards are expected to build and experiment rather than just
remember and reproduce of paper during examination.
What is Atal Tinkering Labs
Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) are dedicated works spaces where students (Class 6th to Class 12th) learn
innovation skills and develop ideas that will go on to transform India. The labs are powered to acquaint
students with state-of-the-art equipment such as 3D printers, robotics & electronics development tools,
IoT & sensors etc.
The lab activities are designed to spur the spark of creativity, and go beyond regular curriculum and text
book learning. The labs will let students explore skills of future such as design and computational
thinking, adaptive learning and artificial intelligence.
2400+ schools across the country have been selected to establish an Atal Tinkering Lab. ATLs will be
hubs of innovation where young minds will accelerate their ideas to solve unique local problems.
Conclusion
• We in India cannot afford to let this revolution bypass us. We need to be future ready very soon.
• The education system should be such that our workforce is able to work across disciplines.
• Our students who are future workforce must be capable to embrace Robotics, Artificial
Intelligence, Blockchain, Additive Manufacturing and other emerging technologies.
• Maximum jobs will be created in social sectors like Education, Health and Nutrition etc.
• We need to scale up rapidly to be future ready and to avoid job loss.
