By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, DEC 15, 2020: PRIME Minister Mr Narendra Modi on Monday expressed confidence that Indian talent will gain worldwide fame in the space sector and replicate the success of the IT industry.

Talking with start-ups, industries and academia from the space sector, the Prime Minister said reforms in the space sector would help India unlock its potential and become a competitive space market globally with public=private partnership.

"Private investment in the sector will lead to the creation of hi-tech jobs, which will provide a host of opportunities to the talent pool in IITs/NITs and other technical institutions," Mr Modi said.

The Prime Minister also underlined the significance of the space sector in communication and navigation.

In June 2020, the Cabinet opened up the space sector, allowing private firms and startups in the entire gamut of space activities. The government formed the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) as a regulator to ensure a level playing field for the private sector.

"India is making remarkable strides in this sector. This sector has also witnessed path-breaking reforms this year," PM Modi said in a tweet, adding, "Space is the space to be in!"

He assured the participants of the government's complete support to the reforms which were not limited to ensuring ease of doing business, but were "necessary mechanisms" for the private sector at each stage - including making available testing facilities and launchpads.

Through these reforms, the endeavour is not only to ensure that India becomes a competitive space market, but also to ensure the benefits of the space programme reach the poorest, he added.

He told the private sector that they will be "co-passengers with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in this age of space research" and expressed hope that the country would soon become the manufacturing hub of space assets.

Dr K. Sivan, Secretary, Department of Space (DOS) and Chairman, ISRO, said more than 25 industries have already approached DOS for undertaking their space activities.

The other participants at the interaction were Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal from Bharti Enterprises, Mr Jayant Patil from Larsen and Toubro Ltd, Mr Srinath Ravichandran from Agnikul Cosmos Pvt Ltd, Mr Pawan Kumar Chandana from Skyroot Aerospace Ltd, Colonel H.S. Shankar from Alpha Design Technologies Pvt Ltd., Mr Rakesh Verma from MapmyIndia, Mr Awais Ahmed from PIXXEL India and Dr Srimathy Kesan from Space Kidz India.