Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the private sector to leverage the technology and resources available through the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to assist India to become a vital part of the end-to-end supply chain for space technology.
Modi stated publicly at the founding of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), a trade association for space and satellite firms, that the government’s space reforms were built on four pillars. First, the private sector’s freedom of invention, second, the government’s role as an enabler, third, preparing youngsters for the future, and fourth, viewing the space industry as a resource for the common man’s progress.
The prime minister also reaffirmed the government’s seriousness and commitment to privatising state-owned enterprises, as indicated by the recent sale of Air India to the Tata Group.
He noted that India was one of just a few countries worldwide with end-to-end capabilities in the space industry and that the efficiency and affordability of Indian space technology will set it apart as the world transitioned from the “Information Age to the Space Age.”
Prime Minister said that the brand value of this efficiency needs to be enhanced. Modi stated that his government would act as an enabler, not a handler, in order to support the industry’s exponential expansion by passing mature technologies to the private sector.
“The government would also act as an aggregator of space assets and services, saving our young inventors time and energy on equipment purchases,” he added.
The twentieth century was defined by a desire to control space and the space sector, which divided the world’s countries, Modi remarked. “However, India will have to ensure that space plays a significant role in integrating and linking the world in the twenty-first century.”
Underscoring the importance of space technology for India’s 1.3 billion people, the prime minister stated that it would result in improved mapping, imaging, and connection capabilities for the general public. Additionally, the technology will assist enterprises to increase their pace from shipment to delivery, provide greater security and income for fishers, and enable better forecasting of natural disasters, he said.
Modi laid out the roadmap, stating that the government will shortly finalise spacecom (space-based communication) and remote sensing policies, with the goal of providing a platform for the private sector to offer multiple solutions.
The government, he stated, would continue to support young entrepreneurs and startups. To build a healthy startup ecosystem, he explained, a platform strategy was critical.
The prime minister used the UPI platform as an example, stating that it served as the foundation for a robust financial network. The government will promote comparable platforms in space and geospatial domains, as well as the usage of drones in a variety of applications, he said.
Modi emphasised the importance of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign and urged the private sector to seize possibilities to build indigenous space technology solutions. He stated that it was more than a vision; it was also a well-considered, well-planned, and integrated economic strategy.
“This is a strategy that will make India a global manufacturing powerhouse by enhancing the skills capabilities of India’s entrepreneurs and India’s youth,” he said. “A strategy that will make India a global centre of innovations, based on India’s technological expertise.”
This strategy will contribute significantly to global development by elevating India’s human resources and talent, he stated.
