India's working human resource is projected to reach 832 million by 2025, making it the youngest nation with immense manpower globally. Globalization and digitization have led to virtual brain drain, where rich nations use poorer nations' brains for online work, contributing to host countries. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Engineering (S&E) Indicator shows that Indian students dominated the number of S&E master students enrolled in the U.S. from 2012 to 2016, with a decline from 2017 to 2020. China, India, and South Korea secured 55% of S&E PhD degrees from the U.S. during 2001-20. Physical, biological, mathematical, and statistical doctorate degrees are more popular, followed by engineering, social-behavioral sciences, computer sciences, and agricultural sciences. India dominated with 13% U.S. doctorate degree recipients in 2018.

Remittances are a significant source of income for many countries, with Mexico being a pioneer in diaspora assignments.The rise of Chinese research and innovation is largely due to the citation of Chinese authors' research articles by their diaspora. Countries like Brazil, Malaysia, India, and South Africa are implementing multi-education schemes to combat brain drain and engage diaspora. Countries like Rwanda and Kenya are promoting digital transformation and knowledge-based economies, while India has seen significant achievements in Science, Technology, and Innovation (S&T) with a rise in the Global Innovation Index (GII) and a 3rd position in startups and unicorns. India's space S&T has also gained international attention, with notable achievements in proteomics research. Despite challenges, the international scientific community is optimistic about India's growth in S&T.

The Indian government has launched various funding programs to support R&D, including extramural agencies, fellowship schemes, and building research infrastructure, with a focus on young scientists for independence and continued research.

The Indian government launched the Startup India program in January 2016, involving over 99,000+ startups across 36 states and union territories. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion provided a seed fund of 9.54 Bn for financial support and a 4-year program to grow new startups. 12 nodal ministries supported and provided funds for startups in various sectors.The Indian government has initiated the National Education Policy (NEP) to reform the country's educational system and create a holistic, multidisciplinary, and skill-directed education system. The policy aims to make India a global knowledge hub and aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The NEP-2020 also proposes NRF to support research and innovation. The Ministry of Education has invited top universities to set up campuses, and the education system has been modified from 10+2 to 5+3+4+4, including vocational courses for skill development.

Brain drain in India is not a universal phenomenon, as the choice of migration varies person to person. While India generates thousands of PhDs annually in Science and Technology, the number of post-doctoral, assistant professorship, and R&D sector placements is still lagging. Placement strategies for engineering graduates in IITs, NITs, and other academic institutes are better. The fast-transforming job market, including startups and growing business ventures, has led to a demand for industry-oriented, multi-disciplinary non-convention courses. However, many talented Indian students and researchers are unable to join top institutions due to lack of resources and family pressure.

The Indian economy is thriving due to increased entrepreneurship, government initiatives, and Indian diaspora contributions. DST is promoting post-doctoral research, overseas scientists, and funding for research infrastructure, with efforts expanding into S&T.