On 12 August 2026, the Ministry of Science & Technology placed before the Lok Sabha a progress report on the National Quantum Mission (NQM) — four Thematic Hubs operational, seventeen startups supported, twenty-three teaching laboratories being set up, and indigenous quantum products already transferred from DRDO to industry.
Quantum technology has quietly become one of the highest-yield science topics for the NDA General Ability paper. It is genuinely new, it is heavily funded, it is defence-relevant, and — unusually for a cutting-edge subject — it rests on physics concepts that can be explained in a paragraph. It is also a standing favourite as an SSB lecturette topic.
The Mission in one frame
- Approved: by the Union Cabinet in April 2023.
- Outlay: ₹6,003.65 crore, for eight years — 2023-24 to 2030-31.
- Implementing department: the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
- Governance: a Mission Governing Board (MGB), a Mission Technology Research Council (MTRC), expert committees and on-site reviews. An Annual Quantum Conclave was held on 10–11 April 2026 to review the Thematic Hubs, Technical Groups and startups.
- Headline targets: intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50 to 1,000 physical qubits in eight years across platforms such as superconducting and photonic; satellite-based secure quantum communication between ground stations over 2,000 km within India; inter-city quantum key distribution over 2,000 km; and multi-node quantum networks with quantum memories.
The four Thematic Hubs — memorise these as a set
This is the single most examinable table in the topic:
| Thematic Hub | Host institution | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Quantum Computing | IISc Bengaluru (with C-DAC) | Multiple qubit platforms — superconducting, photonic, neutral atom, electron spin, semiconducting; quantum algorithms |
| Quantum Communication | IIT Madras (with C-DOT) | Hybrid quantum networks, post-quantum cryptography, quantum repeaters, fibre and satellite QKD |
| Quantum Sensing & Metrology | IIT Bombay | NV-centre sensors, magnetometers, gravimeters, quantum-enhanced imaging, precision measurement |
| Quantum Materials & Devices | IIT Delhi | Quantum dots, spintronic materials, photonic devices |
Reported progress during 2025-26:
- The four T-Hubs are operational, comprising 14 Technical Groups and 17 Project Teams drawn from academia, research institutions and industry.
- Research infrastructure, including fabrication and central facilities, is being established at IISc Bengaluru, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi for indigenous development of quantum processors, sensors, materials and devices.
- 17 dedicated Project Teams under the Quantum Algorithms Technical Group.
- Undergraduate Minor and M.Tech programmes in quantum technologies developed with AICTE, and 23 Quantum Teaching Laboratories being set up across the country.
- 17 quantum technology startups supported for commercialisation.
The physics, in plain language
Everything in this field follows from three ideas — the territory of the NDA notes on modern physics:
1. Superposition. A classical bit is either 0 or 1. A qubit can exist in a superposition of both states simultaneously, described by probability amplitudes. The consequence is exponential: n qubits can represent 2ⁿ states at once. Fifty qubits already exceed what any classical supercomputer can simulate directly — which is why "50 to 1,000 qubits" is a meaningful target rather than an arbitrary number.
2. Entanglement. Two or more qubits can be correlated so that the state of one is not independent of the other, however far apart they are — what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance". Entanglement is the resource that makes quantum algorithms and quantum communication protocols work.
3. Measurement collapses the state. Observing a quantum system forces it into a definite value and destroys the superposition. This looks like a limitation, and for computing it is: it is the root of decoherence, the tendency of a qubit to lose its quantum character through interaction with its environment, which is why quantum processors are shielded and cooled to near absolute zero. But for communication the same property is the entire advantage — as we shall see.
A crucial distinction for exam purposes: physical qubits versus logical qubits. Physical qubits are error-prone, so many of them are combined with quantum error correction to form one reliable logical qubit. This is why headline qubit counts are not directly comparable to classical processing power.
Qubits are built on several competing physical platforms, all named in the Mission documents: superconducting circuits, photonic (light-based), neutral atoms, electron spin and semiconducting qubits. No platform has yet won.
Quantum communication: security from physics, not from mathematics
This is the concept that most rewards clear explanation in an interview.
Classical encryption (RSA, elliptic curve) is secure because factoring very large numbers is computationally hard for classical computers. It is not secure in principle — merely secure in practice, given available computing power.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is different. It uses the no-cloning theorem — an unknown quantum state cannot be copied — and the measurement-collapse property. If an eavesdropper intercepts the photons carrying the key, the act of measuring disturbs them, and the legitimate parties detect the disturbance as an elevated error rate and discard the key. Security rests on the laws of physics rather than on computational difficulty.
The engineering challenges are equally examinable. Photons are absorbed in optical fibre, which limits terrestrial QKD range — hence the Mission's work on quantum repeaters and on satellite-based QKD, where photons travel mostly through vacuum. This is exactly why the target is framed as 2,000 km via satellite between ground stations and 2,000 km inter-city over fibre.
Post-quantum cryptography — the other half of the answer
The Mission's communication hub also works on Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), and candidates should not confuse the two:
- QKD is a hardware solution — it distributes keys using quantum states over dedicated links.
- PQC is a software solution — classical mathematical algorithms (lattice-based and similar) designed to resist attack by a quantum computer, deployable on ordinary networks.
The threat driving both is concrete. Shor's algorithm would let a sufficiently large quantum computer factor large numbers efficiently, breaking RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography. Grover's algorithm effectively halves the security of symmetric ciphers. And the danger is not purely future: adversaries can harvest encrypted traffic now and decrypt it later once such a machine exists — which is why governments are migrating cryptography before the threat materialises rather than after.
Quantum sensing — the quietest application, and possibly the most useful
Quantum computing gets the headlines; quantum sensing may deliver first, and its defence relevance is direct:
- NV (nitrogen-vacancy) centres in diamond act as extraordinarily sensitive magnetometers, usable at room temperature.
- Quantum gravimeters measure minute variations in gravitational field — useful for mapping mineral and groundwater resources, and for detecting underground structures.
- Atomic clocks provide the precision timing on which satellite navigation, telecom networks and power grids depend.
- Inertial navigation built on quantum sensors could allow navigation without satellite signals — of obvious value in a GPS-denied environment, which is precisely the environment a modern military expects to fight in.
Magnetometry sensitive enough to detect a submerged submarine's magnetic signature, and navigation that cannot be jammed, are the reasons defence establishments worldwide fund this work. The underlying atomic physics connects to the chapter on atomic structure.
Who else is building this in India
The Mission is deliberately spread across departments, and the institution-matching is examinable:
- DRDO has developed indigenous quantum products with Technology Transfer (ToT) extended to industry — Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) and an RFSoC-based Controller for Quantum Computer Processors (RCQCP). QRNGs matter because classical "random" numbers are generated by deterministic algorithms and are therefore predictable in principle; quantum randomness is fundamental. DRDO also runs the Technology Development Fund (TDF) for MSMEs and startups under the Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) framework, DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence (DIACoEs) at IITs, IISc and central universities, and the Contract for Acquisition of Research Services (CARS).
- MeitY has developed Qniverse, a unified quantum computing platform integrated with High Performance Computing (HPC) systems, giving students, researchers and startups access to quantum resources for designing, simulating and running algorithms across multiple hardware platforms.
- ISRO runs structured project reviews (BDR, PDR, CDR, Standing Peer Review Committee and Expert Review Committee) for quantum projects, partners with IISc, IITs, NITs, Ahmedabad University and the S.N. Bose National Centre, and has built quantum and optical laboratories and optical ground stations — the infrastructure any satellite-based QKD system will need.
The revision hook: The National Quantum Mission was approved in April 2023 with an outlay of ₹6,003.65 crore for eight years (2023-24 to 2030-31) under the Department of Science and Technology, governed by a Mission Governing Board and Mission Technology Research Council, with an Annual Quantum Conclave held on 10–11 April 2026; its four Thematic Hubs are Quantum Computing at IISc Bengaluru with C-DAC, Quantum Communication at IIT Madras with C-DOT, Quantum Sensing & Metrology at IIT Bombay and Quantum Materials & Devices at IIT Delhi, comprising 14 Technical Groups and 17 Project Teams, with facilities also at IIT Kanpur, 23 Quantum Teaching Laboratories, AICTE-linked UG Minor and M.Tech programmes and 17 startups supported; targets are 50–1000 physical qubits in eight years, satellite-based QKD over 2,000 km and inter-city fibre QKD over 2,000 km; DRDO has transferred Quantum Random Number Generators and an RFSoC-based Controller for Quantum Computer Processors to industry and runs the TDF scheme, DIACoEs and CARS; MeitY has built Qniverse integrated with HPC; QKD security rests on the no-cloning theorem and measurement disturbance, while post-quantum cryptography is the software alternative against Shor's and Grover's algorithms.
Why it matters
- Sovereignty in cryptography. A nation that cannot build or verify its own secure-communication hardware is trusting someone else with its secrets. That is the strategic argument for indigenous QKD and QRNG, and it is a strong SSB answer.
- The transition must start early. Migrating a country's banking, defence and government cryptography takes years. Beginning after a cryptographically relevant quantum computer exists would be far too late — the "harvest now, decrypt later" problem makes delay actively dangerous.
- Skills are the real bottleneck. Note how much of the Mission's reported progress is teaching laboratories, university programmes and startups rather than hardware. Quantum technology is limited by trained people more than by money.
- The honest caveat. Useful, fault-tolerant quantum computing remains some years away everywhere in the world; decoherence and error correction are unsolved at scale. Quantum sensing and communication will deliver practical results well before quantum computing does — and a candidate who makes that distinction sounds informed rather than breathless.
Exam relevance in one paragraph
For NDA General Ability, retain: the National Quantum Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in April 2023 with an outlay of six thousand three crore and sixty-five lakh rupees for eight years from 2023-24 to 2030-31 and implemented by the Department of Science and Technology, is reviewed through a Mission Governing Board, a Mission Technology Research Council and expert committees, with an Annual Quantum Conclave held on 10 and 11 April 2026; its four Thematic Hubs are Quantum Computing at the Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru in association with C-DAC, Quantum Communication at IIT Madras in association with C-DOT, Quantum Sensing and Metrology at IIT Bombay and Quantum Materials and Devices at IIT Delhi, together comprising fourteen Technical Groups and seventeen Project Teams, with research and fabrication facilities also at IIT Kanpur, seventeen project teams under the Quantum Algorithms Technical Group, undergraduate minor and M.Tech programmes developed with the All India Council for Technical Education, twenty-three Quantum Teaching Laboratories and support to seventeen startups; the Mission targets intermediate-scale quantum computers of fifty to one thousand physical qubits within eight years, satellite-based quantum key distribution between ground stations over two thousand kilometres and inter-city fibre-based quantum key distribution over two thousand kilometres, together with multi-node quantum networks using quantum memories; a qubit differs from a classical bit in exhibiting superposition, so that n qubits represent two to the power n states, while entanglement correlates qubits and measurement collapses their state, decoherence being the principal engineering obstacle; quantum key distribution derives its security from the no-cloning theorem and the fact that eavesdropping disturbs the transmitted states, whereas post-quantum cryptography provides classical algorithms resistant to Shor's and Grover's algorithms; the Defence Research and Development Organisation has transferred Quantum Random Number Generators and a radio-frequency system-on-chip based controller for quantum computer processors to industry and supports the Technology Development Fund, DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence and the Contract for Acquisition of Research Services, while the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has built the Qniverse platform integrated with high performance computing and ISRO has established quantum and optical laboratories and optical ground stations.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. The National Quantum Mission is implemented by the: (a) Department of Science and Technology (b) MeitY (c) ISRO (d) DRDO → (a) — DST, though DRDO, MeitY and ISRO all contribute.
Q2. The outlay of the National Quantum Mission is about: (a) ₹6,003.65 crore (b) ₹1,000 crore (c) ₹25,000 crore (d) ₹500 crore → (a) — over eight years.
Q3. The Thematic Hub for Quantum Computing is at: (a) IISc Bengaluru (b) IIT Madras (c) IIT Bombay (d) IIT Delhi → (a) — in association with C-DAC.
Q4. The Thematic Hub for Quantum Communication is at: (a) IIT Madras (b) IISc Bengaluru (c) IIT Kanpur (d) IIT Delhi → (a) — in association with C-DOT.
Q5. Quantum Sensing & Metrology is hosted at: (a) IIT Bombay (b) IIT Delhi (c) IIT Madras (d) IISc Bengaluru → (a).
Q6. A qubit differs from a classical bit because it can: (a) exist in a superposition of 0 and 1 (b) store more electricity (c) travel faster than light (d) never be measured → (a).
Q7. With n qubits, the number of states that can be represented simultaneously is: (a) 2ⁿ (b) n² (c) 2n (d) n → (a) — the source of exponential advantage.
Q8. The loss of quantum behaviour due to interaction with the environment is called: (a) decoherence (b) diffraction (c) dispersion (d) attenuation → (a) — the main engineering obstacle.
Q9. QKD security rests fundamentally on: (a) the laws of physics (b) the length of the key (c) the speed of the processor (d) password strength → (a) — measurement disturbs the state and reveals eavesdropping.
Q10. The principle that an unknown quantum state cannot be copied is the: (a) no-cloning theorem (b) uncertainty principle (c) Pauli exclusion principle (d) correspondence principle → (a).
Q11. Shor's algorithm, run on a large quantum computer, would threaten: (a) RSA and elliptic-curve encryption (b) optical fibre (c) satellite launches (d) GPS accuracy → (a) — by factoring large numbers efficiently.
Q12. Post-quantum cryptography refers to: (a) classical algorithms resistant to quantum attack (b) quantum hardware for key distribution (c) faster classical computers (d) a type of qubit → (a) — distinct from QKD.
Q13. DRDO's quantum products transferred to industry include: (a) Quantum Random Number Generators (b) cryogenic rocket engines (c) radar absorbent paint (d) night vision devices → (a) — along with the RFSoC-based controller.
Q14. Qniverse, a unified quantum computing platform integrated with HPC, was developed by: (a) MeitY (b) ISRO (c) DRDO (d) DAE → (a).
Q15. NV centres used in quantum sensing are found in: (a) diamond (b) silicon (c) graphite (d) quartz → (a) — nitrogen-vacancy centres, used in magnetometers.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Quantum technology is now a regular NDA science item, and the framings are four. The mission-fact item — implementing department, outlay and duration, where the trap is attributing the Mission to ISRO or MeitY rather than DST. The hub-matching item — which institute hosts which hub, the single most likely question from this release; IISc-Computing and IIT Madras-Communication is the pairing to fix. The concept item — superposition, entanglement, the no-cloning theorem and decoherence, usually as a definitional one-liner. The application item — QKD versus post-quantum cryptography, and the sensing applications such as magnetometers and atomic clocks. The fresh 2026 hook is the reported progress: 23 teaching laboratories, 17 startups, 14 Technical Groups and DRDO's QRNG transfer. We reference the pattern, not any specific past question.
Preparing for NDA? Quantum technology and cyber security are among the most frequently set lecturette and GD topics at the SSB, and the candidates who do well are the ones who can explain a qubit in two sentences. Follow our daily NDA current affairs and train with officer faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
✍️ Written by Aditya Tiwari — Physics, space science & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk. The Cavalier, founded by ex-Army officers, has trained NDA/CDS/SSB aspirants since 2001 (Facebook · YouTube).
Source: PIB / Ministry of Science & Technology, 12 August 2026. Facts cross-verified with independent sources.