Why Mathematics Is India’s Next Strategic Weapon

In an age when military power is defined by algorithms, mathematics has become the quiet architecture of national strength. From missile guidance and secure communications to cyber operations and AI-enabled intelligence, it is the hidden force multiplier. For India, the gap is no longer academic. It is strategic.

The Strategic Gap

India produces 3.2% of global mathematics papers and 1.8% of citations which amounts to roughly one-seventh of China’s output. More troubling is the capability gap in applied domains. The ₹200-trillion UPI ecosystem relies on cryptographic standards India did not develop and cannot independently verify. Monsoon models affecting 600mn farmers depend on frameworks built elsewhere. TIFR and ISI produce excellent researchers, many of whom now work abroad. The pipeline works. Retention fails because India lacks institutions matching Princeton’s IAS or Germany’s Max Planck.

A Six-Pillar National Strategy

To transform potential into power, India needs a comprehensive approach built on six interconnected pillars.

First, India should back five non-degree, research-only National Mathematical Sciences Institutes by 2030 as true private-public partnerships with the private sector in the lead. Each requires a ₹1,000 crore endowment to sustain long-horizon research independent of annual budget cycles. Corporates or HNIs put in 51% upfront and control operations. Government reimburses the remaining 49% against results. Outputs should include 10 globally renowned faculty, 50 three-year postdocs and sustained publication in top-tier journals. Private-majority boards with international advisors will govern each NMSI, which will anchor at least one national “Grand Challenge” from indigenous cryptography to verifiable AI.

Second, India must recognise mathematics as a core weapon in asymmetric warfare. A classified mathematical research unit should focus on cryptanalysis, quantum-resistant encryption, secure communications, and complex systems modelling relevant to modern defence. Fully funded doctoral and post-doctoral work in this unit will ensure India’s defence strategy rests on sovereign mathematical capability.

Third, Mathematics must enter governance through a dedicated Quant Corps of 45-50 mathematicians embedded across ministries and strategic public institutions. Their work should support areas like revenue forecasting, logistics optimisation, agricultural risk analysis and financial system stress testing. The Quant Corps will succeed only if mathematicians are trained to translate complex models into clear, usable insights for policymakers.

Fourth, India needs a national pipeline to nurture and retain mathematical excellence. A 750-member Ramanujan Fellowship Corps of postdoctoral researchers should mentor university students, co-supervise PhDs, run summer schools and give open lectures, linking frontier research with broad educational impact. In parallel, 800 District Mathematics Academies in Navodaya or Kendriya Vidyalayas, assisted by the Fellows, can support 100 other schools each, backed by multilingual, digital Olympiad content, SCERT partnerships and Class 9+ curriculum reform focused on proofs and modelling.

Fifth, the strategy must reshape how mathematics is funded, starting with policy reform to include it under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, allowing tax-free CSR contributions. A ₹10,000 crore National Mathematics Endowment Fund should be created by 2030 with equal contribution from the States and the Centre. “Math-for-Industry” Labs should be co-created in the NMSI along with companies to drive applied research in areas like AI and infrastructure modelling. Firms should fund research chairs, access IP early and embed Ramanujan Fellows in strategic units. By 2030, this pillar should aim to produce at least fifty industry-relevant patents and mobilise ₹500 crore of private R&D investment. This is not philanthropy. It is strategic investment.

The sixth pillar places states and districts at the centre. A National Mathematics Mission should invite every state to design its own State Maths Mission with clear goals for curriculum reform, teacher training, Olympiad performance and local research hubs. The Union Government should match state spending through a transparent formula that rewards measurable outcomes. States that establish endowed state math centres, sponsor district-level talent programmes and host Quant Corps fellows in key departments should receive higher RLI support. Each state can select one Mathematics Lighthouse District to pilot the full model. There the Ramanujan Fellowship Corps, a Math Academy within a Navodaya or Kendriya Vidyalaya and a cluster of supported government schools should work together. Successful approaches can then be expanded to other districts.

The six pillars form one reinforcing system. NMSIs create frontier research and fellows. Fellows power the talent pipeline, universities and industry labs. State missions and the Quant Corps create demand, while defence draws on this shared pool. When they work together, their impact will be compounded.

Implementation Roadmap (2026–2030)

The implementation of the five-year roadmap begins with a Pilot Phase (Year 1-2026-27) launching three NMSIs, deploying the Ramanujan Fellowship Corps for mentorship across 50 districts and commencing curriculum reform pilots in two states. By Year 3 (2028-29), the final two NMSIs should be commissioned and the Quant Corps deployed across 10 ministries. Consolidation by Year 5 (2030) will ensure five fully operational NMSIs, nationwide Math Academies and digital mathematics laboratories producing both open-source tools and patents.

For India’s national mathematics strategy to succeed, it must be anchored in the political architecture and visible leadership. A National Mathematics Council chaired by the Prime Minister should provide oversight, with a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) empowered to bypass bureaucratic delays and implement swiftly. All appointments across institutions must be made through global, peer-reviewed searches.

Progress must be tracked through an annual public ‘Metrics Dashboard’ covering seven indicators: top-tier publications, field-normalised citation impact, 25% post-tenure retention of Ramanujan Fellows, 50+ patents by 2030, ₹500 crore in industry co-investment and documented policy applications. A five-year sunset clause will ensure accountability if there is a lag in core outcomes.

Israel and China both reversed flows through quality infrastructure and competitive compensation. India can do it too. Over five years, the strategy implies about ₹13,000 crore of central investment. This includes ₹5,000 crore for NMSI endowments, ₹3,000 crore for fellowships and academies and the balance for endowment matching, Quant Corps, defence mathematics and coordination. Together with state and private co-funding the total ecosystem spending would be around ₹20,000 crore.

For the price of two cricket stadiums, India could fund the future of mathematics for a generation.

Learning from Global Models

The world offers clear precedents that demonstrate the strategic returns of investing in mathematics. A small 1970s number theory group at Hebrew University turned modest maths investment into a $10bn cybersecurity industry and enduring strategic edge for Israel.

China’s MATHAI initiative, launched in 2019 with $400mn annually, embeds mathematicians within firms like Huawei, Baidu, and Alibaba, generating 127 cryptographic patents and 89 AI optimisation breakthroughs by 2023.

The US invests $260–$300mn through the NSF and several billions annually when defence, health and private R&D are included. In 2023 alone, NSF-funded researchers produced 47 papers in the world’s top four math journals. US leadership in AI rests on decades of abstract work in optimisation and neural-network theory that now drives trillions of dollars of investment. The gap is widening and without urgent action, India will fall further behind.

Conclusion: Mathematics and India’s Future

Mathematics is patient infrastructure. What we fund now will shape capability in the 2040s. In the century ahead, nations will be defined by how early they can solve unsolved problems. India must invest now in the minds that can shape the future before it arrives.

Ashish Kumar Singh is the Former Additional Chief Secretary at Skill Development and Innovation, Government of Maharashtra, and Distinguished Fellow at Observer Research Foundation.

The views expressed in this article are personal and do not represent the opinions or positions of any institution or organisation with which the author may be affiliated.