Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA) and said that India will ensure that the space sector unites the world. “India will have to ensure that space plays an important role in uniting, connecting the world in the 21st century,” he said.
He said that reforms in the space sector are based on four pillars: freedom of innovation to the private sector, the government’s role as an enabler, preparing the youth for the future and seeing the space sector as a tool for the development of the common man.
PM Modi added that earlier the space sector was only limited to the government. However, “we changed that mindset and introduced innovations in the field. We brought the government and startups together because it is not the time for linear innovation but exponential innovation.”
Talking about India’s end-to-end capability in the sector, PM Modi said that India is one of the few countries which has developed expertise in launch vehicles, satellites and interplanetary exploration. “We need to strengthen the brand value of efficiency and affordability and we need to become part of the end-to-end space system supply chain. As partners, the government will support the industry, young innovators, startups.”
Space technology has been used as a tool for last-mile delivery, leakage-free and transparent governance. From using geo-tagging to satellite monitoring to helping fishermen, planning disaster management, space technology is helping in good governance, the prime minister said.
” The space sector is a medium for the development of the common people and aims to provide better mapping, imaging and connectivity. Providing better speed to entrepreneurs, improved forecasting, security and income for the agriculture sector, predicting natural disasters and saving lives and livelihoods,” PM Modi added.
He said that with the reforms underway in the sector, the government aims to increase the participation of women in the field. Meanwhile, the government is also in the final stages of finalising a policy around remote sensing.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies, which aspires to be the collective voice of the Indian space industry.”
The association plans to undertake policy advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian space domain, including the government and its agencies. The agency will help in making India self-reliant, technologically advanced and a leading player in the space arena.
The Founding members include Larson & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited. Other core members include Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited, BEL, Centum Electronics, Maxar India.
Lt Gen Anil Bhatt (Retd) has been appointed the director-general of the new body. (ANI)
