Bhoomika Singh
Over 55 startups have registered under the Indian Space Department and the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) in less than two years since these organisations opened to the private sector. While chairing the 4th joint meeting of all Science Ministries and Departments, the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh informed.
“This in itself is great and pathbreaking progress because for all these years, the Department of Space and the ISRO were working without being accessible to others and over two years back, the announcement to open them to private players was hailed by the media as “Unlocking” of the Indian Space sector,” said Singh.
“This could be possible only because PM Modi has the courage and the conviction to take out of the box decisions in the interest of the nation and to break the obsolete taboos of the past,” he adds.
Dr Jitendra Singh went on to say that 29 of the 55 proposals are about satellites, 10 are about space applications and products, 8 are about launch vehicles, and 8 are about ground systems and research. He stated that 9 Startup proposals are expected to be completed by 2022-23.
In addition, 75 student satellites are scheduled to launch this year to coincide with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, which marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
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While the ISRO officials said that approximately one lakh students from across the country applied for a residential training programme, with 150 being chosen. ISRO is hosting the ‘Yuva VIgyani KAryakram’ (YUVIKA) from May 16 to May 28.
According to ISRO, 150 students were chosen from all of the country’s states and union territories.
