PM’s address at Inauguration of IN-SPACe Headquarters in Bopal, Ahmedabad

Namaskar! My cabinet colleague and MP from this region, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, Gujarat’s popular and soft spoken Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel ji, National Security Advisor Shri AjitDoval ji, my colleague in Parliament Shri C.R. Patil, Chairman IN-SPACe, Pawan Goenka ji, Secretary, Department of Space, Shri S. Somnath ji, all representatives of India’s space industry, other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen. Today a wonderful chapter has been added in the development journey of modern India of the 21st century. I congratulate all the countrymen and especially the scientific community for the headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center i.e. IN-SPACe. Nowadays, we see that if the youth have to post something exciting or interesting on social media, they alert it by messaging ‘Watch this space’. The launch of IN-SPACe is like a ‘Watch this space’ moment for India’s space industry. IN-SPACe is an unprecedented opportunity for the youth of India, the best scientific minds of India, to showcase their talent. Whether they are working in the government or in the private sector, IN-SPACe has come up with great opportunities for all. IN-SPACe has a lot of potential to revolutionize India’s space industry and that’s why I would say that ‘Watch this space’…IN-SPACe is for Space, IN-SPACe is for Pace andIN-SPACe is for Ace. Friends, For decades, the private industry associated with the space sector in India was seen only as a vendor. The government itself used to work on all the space missions and projects. Only a handful of parts and equipment were bought from the private sector. The growth of the private sector was blocked by reducing it to just a vendor. A wall was created. The scientists or the youths could not work on their ideas related to the space sector because they were not part of the government system. And who suffered the most? The country was suffering. It is proof that big ideas make winners. The country is launching a campaign today to make winners by reforming the space sector, freeing it from all restrictions and by supporting the private industry through IN-SPACe.Now the private sector will not remain just a vendor but will play the role of big winners in the space sector. When the power of India’s government space institutions and the passion of India’s private sector come together, the sky will also fall short of it. ‘Even the sky is not the limit’! As the world is watching the strength of India’s IT sector today, the strength of India’s space sector will reach new heights in the near future. IN-SPACe will also work to facilitate the transfer of technology between the space industry, start-ups and ISRO. It is also being ensured that the private sector can also use the resources of ISRO and work together with ISRO. Friends, While initiating reforms in the space sector, I always had the immense potential of the youth of India in my mind. I was pleased to listen to the young boys taking steps forward in the start-ups with high spirits. I congratulate all these young people. The youth of India were not getting as many opportunities in the space sector earlier. The youth of the country bring with them innovation, energy and spirit of exploration. Their risk taking capacity is also very high. It is very important for the development of any country. If a youth wants to build a building, can we tell him to get it built from PWD? If any youth wants to innovate, can we tell him that it will happen only from the government facility? It sounds strange but this was the situation prevailing in different sectors in our country.It was the misfortune of the country that the difference between regulations and restrictions was forgotten over time. Today, when the youth of India wants to become a participant in nation building, we cannot put a condition to him that it has to be done through the government route only. Gone is the era of such conditions. Our government is removing every obstacle being faced by the youth and is reforming continuously. Opening up the defence sector to private industry, formulating a modern drone policy, preparing geospatial data guidelines, facilitating ‘Work from Anywhere’ in the Telecom-IT sector, the government is working in every direction. It is our endeavor to create a maximum Ease of Doing Business environment for the private sector of India, so that the private sector of the country can also help the countrymen equally in the Ease of Living. Friends, Before coming here, I was going through the IN-SPACe’s Technical Lab and Clean Room. Here state-of-the-art equipment for the design, fabrication, assembly, integration and testing of satellites will be available to Indian companies. Many more modern facilities and infrastructure will be created here which will help in expanding the capacity of the space industry. Today I also got a chance to visit the exhibition section and interact with people from the space industry and space start-ups. I remember when we were initiating reforms in the space sector some people were apprehensive about private players joining the space industry. But today more than 60 Indian private companies have joined the space sector and are leading it. I am very happy to see them today. I am proud that our private industry colleagues have moved rapidly in the areas of launch vehicle, satellite, grounds segment and space application. Private players from India have also come forward to manufacture PSLV rockets. Moreover, many private companies have even designed their own rockets. This is a glimpse of the limitless possibilities of India’s space sector. I heartily congratulate our scientists, industrialists, young entrepreneurs and all the countrymen for this. And if I have to congratulate anyone the most for this new turning point in this whole journey, it is the people of ISRO.Our former secretary of ISRO is sitting here who led this initiative and now our Somnath ji is taking it forward, and therefore, I give full credit to the ISRO colleagues and scientists. This is not a small decision, friends. Those in the start-up business know that if they have high spirits to offer something to India and the world today it is because of such an important decision. Hence, the entire credit goes to ISRO. ISRO has taken giant steps and tried to move things rapidly for the youth of the country by offering them to join what was once its domain. This in itself is a very revolutionary decision. Friends, We are celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of 75 years of our independence. Behind our successes in independent India, which inspired crores of countrymen and gave them confidence, are our space achievements. When ISRO launches a rocket or sends a mission to space, the entire country becomes part of it and feels proud. The entire country prays for its success and every countryman expresses with joy, enthusiasm and pride when it is successful and considers that success as his own success. And even in the event of something untoward or unimaginable, the entire country stands with its scientists and encourages them.Whether one is scientist, farmer or laborer, whether or not he knows the nuances of science, our space mission becomes the mission of the people of the country. We saw this emotional solidarity during the Mission Chandrayaan. India’s space mission has in a way been the biggest identity of ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’. When this campaign gets a boost from India’s private sector, you can imagine the potential of this campaign. Friends, The role of space technology in our life is increasing day by day in the 21st century. The more there are roles and applications, the more possibilities there will be. Space-tech is about to become the basis of a major revolution in the 21st century. Besides space, space-tech is now going to become a technology in our personal space. The role of space technology in the life of ordinary human beings, the way space technology is involved in everyday life, often goes unnoticed. When we turn on TV, there are so many channels available to us. But very few people know that this is happening with the help of satellites. If one has to find traffic before going somewhere or find the shortest route, it is happening with the help of satellites. There are so many projects involving urban planning – building of roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, or monitoring of ground water tables, infra projects, etc. Everything is happening with the help of satellites. Space technology has a big role in the planning and development of our coastal areas. Fishermen going into the seas for fishing also get advance information about sea storms through satellites. The rain forecasts are almost turning out to be correct. Similarly, in the event of a cyclone, the satellite tells us its exact fall point, its direction and the exact time of its landfall. Moreover, space technology is being used in the crop insurance scheme in the agriculture sector and the soil health cards campaign. We cannot even imagine today’s modern aviation sector without space technology.All these topics are related to the life of the common man. You must be aware that we have announced a plan in this year’s budget to make teaching and tuition available to children through TV. Not only this, we are also ensuring availability of syllabus for the children sitting for competitive exams and those who have to take tuitions in bigger cities by paying very expensive fees at their homes only through satellite. We are working in the direction so that children do not have to spend extra money and the child of the poorest of the poor can also get the best tuition on his TV screen, laptops and mobile phones through satellite. Friends, The use of space-tech is going to increase more and more in many such areas in the future. The IN-SPACe and private players need to ensure how to make space technology more accessible to the common man, how space-tech can become a medium to improve the ease of living and how we can use this technology for the development and potential of the country. There are many possibilities in Geo-spatial mapping. The private sector can play a big role in this. We have huge data available from government satellites today. The private sector will also have a lot of data of its own in the near future. This wealth of data is going to provide you with huge power in the world.At present, the global space industry is worth about $ 400 billion. There is a possibility of it becoming a one trillion dollar industry by 2040. We have talent as well as experience, but the private partnership is only 2 per cent. We need to increase our share in the global space industry, and our private sector has a major role in this. I can also see the strong role of India in the field of space tourism and space diplomacy in the near future. It will be a matter of pride for the whole country if India’s space companies become global and we have a global space company. Friends, There are infinite possibilities in our country, but these can never be realized with limited efforts. I assure the youth with scientific temperament and risk taking ability that this process of reforms in the space sector will continue uninterruptedly. A strong mechanism is in place to consider the needs of the private sector and assess business possibilities. IN-SPACe will work as a single window independent nodal agency to meet all the needs of the private sector. India is also working on a new Indian space policy in harmony with government companies, the space industry, startups and institutes. We are also going to come up with a policy soon to promote ease of doing business in the space sector. Friends, For the future of humanity and its development, there are the two areas that are going to be most effective in the future. The sooner we explore it, the more we move forward in this global competition without delay, we can lead and control the circumstances. And those two areas are space and sea. These are going to become a huge force and today we are trying to address them through policies and encouraging the youth of the country to join it. The curiosity of our youth, especially the students, for space is a great force for the development of India’s space industry. It is our endeavor that the students should be continuously acquainted and updated with the subjects related to space through the thousands of Atal Tinkering Labs built in the country. I would also urge the schools and colleges to inform their students about Indian institutions and companies related to space and organize their visitsto these labs. The way the number of Indian private companies is joining this sector will also help them. I don’t know why it was so but before I got this responsibility there existed a system whereby 12-15 leaders like us were invited like VIPs during the launch of a satellite and there was no entry for others. But my thinking is different; my way of working is different. I made a decision when I went there as Prime Minister for the first time. We have noticed that the students of the country have interest and curiosity. Therefore, we made a view gallery at Sriharikota from where satellites are launched. Any citizen or a school student can watch the proceedings and it has a huge capacity. Arrangements have been made so that 10,000 people can watch the launch of the satellite. It may appear to be small, but it is having a huge impact on India. Friends, The inauguration of IN-SPACe headquarters is taking place today. I am also happy that Gujarat is becoming the center of large institutions of national and international level in different sectors. I express my heartfelt gratitude to Bhupendrabhai and his entire team and to all our colleagues of Gujarat government for supporting proactive policies for this initiative. Just a few weeks ago,the work for WHO’s Global Center for Traditional Medicine began in Jamnagar. Be it National Defence University, National Law University, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, National Forensic Science University, National Innovation Foundation, Children’s University, there are so many national institutes around here. The establishment of Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics i.e. BISAG has become an inspiration for other states of the country as well. Now IN-SPACealong with these big institutions will also increase the identity of this place.I urge the youth of the country, especially the youth of Gujarat, to take full advantage of these best Indian institutions. I am sure that India will scale new heights in the space sector with your active role. And on this auspicious occasion, I also congratulate and offer my best wishes to the private sector which has participated with enthusiasm and the youth who came forward with new spirits and resolutions. I also wish many good wishes to all the scientists and the entire team of ISRO. And I believe that Goenka has been a very successful personality in the private sector and under his leadership IN-SPACe will move ahead in fulfilling our dreams in a true sense. With these expectations, along with many wishes, I thank you very much!