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So although well-intentioned, the policy seems to lack a sustained and integrated plan for design and innovation promotion in all design segments at the macro level.

In terms of implementation, too, the progress is painstakingly slow with very few initiatives since its inception. In his newsletter, John Thackara, director of the design innovation network, Doors of Perception, UK, pointed out the lack of stress on climate change, sustainable development or resource efficiency, which has only a passing reference in the policy.

As put in rather harsh perspective by veteran architect and landscape designer Kishore Pradhan: “This policy document is pretentious and unimplementable, as the government has neither the sensitivity nor the sensibility to understand design – especially in context with architecture. While they talk of promoting the Indian design industry and international collaborations, they themselves invite foreign architects to design buildings in India. The Design Policy does not have substance and is doomed from the start.”

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The private as well as the public sectors in India typically under-invest in research, development and design. Presently, India comprises less than 1% of the global industrial design industry.

As Indian designers increasingly display global aspirations, they come upon the realisation that only innovation and design can make them competitive in the international arena, and they seek assistance through both patronage and financial support from the government and its agencies.

M.P Ranjan, Professor of Design, NID, Ahmedabad, says: “The Design Policy needs to be beefed out with structured guidelines that can be actioned by the government, administration, businesses along with the participation of the design community and the Indian public –if the efforts are to achieve desired results in a reasonable period of time.” 

India has been slow to make design a priority and is still a long way away from equalling international design standards and systems.

As Asia is increasingly becoming the hotbed of design, we seem to be lagging far behind on the scene without a strong unanimous policy for Indian industry. As observed from our National Design Policy guidelines, it manages to just touch upon the concerns of the design community, offering only proposals rather than an action plan.

Undeniably, the Indian Design Policy should have a global outlook, but it also needs to take into account local needs and opportunities.

No doubt, in its present form, the policy is driven by market economics and needs to include social, environmental and sustainability objectives. Nonetheless, interior designer Mohan Bhopatkar remains optimistic and feels it’s a reasonable beginning that, if appropriately implemented, should steer the Indian design industry along the right path.  

So the National Design Policy, cleared by the Union Cabinet, does offer hope with its declared objective to “position India as an original ‘design provider’ and ‘creative manufacturer’ in the world markets”. But what needs to be monitored is how far this policy succeeds in guiding the entire design process in the country.