Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India — Department of Space · PIB Delhi · Read the original release on pib.gov.in
- India's space ecosystem is no longer limited to the government sector; Dr. Jitendra Singh said that startups and private companies are creating opportunities for young engineers within the country.
- “The era of silos is over”: Government, industry, startups and academia must work together to build India's scientific power: Dr. Jitendra Singh
- Space technology is no longer limited to rockets and missions; It is making everyday life easier through disaster management and infrastructure planning: Dr Jitendra Singh
- India is moving ahead of the world in science and technology: Dr. Jitendra Singh
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, today said that opening up of India's space sector to private companies has created new opportunities for young scientific and technical talent within the country and has helped in reducing the need to go abroad for employment.
Dr Jitendra Singh was addressing students at the NaMo Book Fest at Rudraksha International Cooperation and Convention Centre, Varanasi, which is being held on 7-8 October to commemorate 25 years of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as the Head of Government through books written by various authors on various aspects of his life, leadership and public service. The festival was coordinated by senior journalist Ashok Srivastava.
Later, interacting with students in a question-and-answer session, Dr Jitendra Singh said that earlier, limited opportunities within the domestic space ecosystem meant that many young professionals looked abroad, while the opening up of the sector has enabled more talent to stay behind and contribute to India's growing space ecosystem. The rise of private space startups including Skyroot is creating new opportunities for young engineers within the country.
Dr. Jitendra Singh's introductory speech was followed by an hour-long interaction and panel discussion with the students. The panel included Professor Chaturvedi, Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University; Dr. Sunil Kumar from Ocean Science; Dr. Ekta, Department of Science and Technology; Dr. Geeta, Department of Biotechnology; And Dr. Jai Jaiswal from the space sector.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the expansion of the space sector represents a fundamental shift in India's scientific ecosystem. “The era of silos is over,” he said. He emphasized that government institutions, private industry, startups, academics and research institutions should work together to build capabilities that can compete globally. The opening up of this sector has transformed the space from a primarily government-led sector to a broader ecosystem in which young professionals and private enterprises can participate.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the transformation is already visible in the growth of India's space economy, which has reached about US$ 9 billion and if the current pace continues, can reach US$ 45-46 billion in the next 8-10 years. He credited this expansion for opening up the sector and bringing a wider range of stakeholders into India's space journey.
Dr Jitendra Singh also told the students that India's space story is no longer limited to rockets and launch missions. Space technology is increasingly being used to ease everyday life, including infrastructure planning, project monitoring and disaster management. He said Indian satellites are also providing information to neighboring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka to help them prepare for floods and other disasters.
Telling the students about India's broader scientific transformation, Dr. Singh said that the last 12-13 years have been the “Age of Science” in India, in which technology has received high policy priority and is increasingly being used to improve lives. He said India has had scientific talent and human resources for decades, but the enabling policy environment needed to transform that potential into national capability has strengthened significantly in recent years.
Dr Jitendra Singh cited Deep Ocean Mission, Quantum Mission, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security and research by the National Research Foundation as initiatives to create capacity in emerging scientific areas. Referring to the Deep Ocean Mission, he said India is beginning to explore the vast scientific and economic potential of its oceans, which also include resources that are largely unexplored.
On biotechnology, Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted India's dedicated policy framework focused on “Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment”, the development of the world's first DNA vaccine against COVID-19 and the Genome India initiative as examples of the country's growing indigenous capabilities and preparedness for the era of precision medicine.
Describing Chandrayaan-3, Dr Jitendra Singh said that India has demonstrated its ability to launch sophisticated space missions with remarkable cost efficiency. He said the country has moved beyond an earlier stage in which it largely followed developments elsewhere and is now catching up with the world, with India already ahead in many areas.
Dr Jitendra Singh also spoke about opening up the nuclear sector to private participation and India's target of 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047, with nuclear power emerging as an important clean-energy source for future needs including AI and data centres. He said the increased priority given to research is reflected in the increase in GERD from about Rs 46,000-47,000 crore in 2013-14 to about Rs 2-2.5 lakh crore.
Responding to the students on Artificial Intelligence, Dr Jitendra Singh encouraged them to embrace technology while maintaining independent thinking and curiosity. “You have to be intelligent enough to use artificial intelligence,” he said. He emphasized that technology should strengthen human potential rather than replace the curiosity that drives scientific discovery.
Dr Jitendra Singh said India's scientific progress has created a new confidence, which is reflected in the country's growing global standing and the opportunities now available to its youth. Recalling Prime Minister Shri Modi's message of “We can do this”, he said that India has moved from an era when the world experimented to an era in which scientific developments are taking place in India at par with the rest of the world and the country is leading in many fields.
He said the next phase will depend on continued collaboration, more opportunities for young talent and continued transformation of scientific potential into innovation, economic opportunity and everyday life solutions as India moves towards a developed India.
This is the official press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), and is published without changes.
