National Quantum Mission

National Quantum Mission (NQM) is India's ₹6,003 crore mission (2023–2031) approved by Cabinet under DST to develop quantum computing (50–1000 qubit systems), quantum communication, quantum sensing, and quantum cryptography, with Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) at premier institutions and a focus on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) networks for secure communications. The strategic significance is that quantum computers can break RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography by efficiently solving integer factorisation and discrete-logarithm problems (Shor's algorithm), making 'Harvest Now Decrypt Later' (HNDL) attacks an immediate national security threat and driving demand for post-quantum cryptography and QKD infrastructure.