Jammu: Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 are the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s progressive policy decisions, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday, asserting that ISRO now has the capacity to compete with NASA and Roscosmos in space expeditions.
The lander module of Chandrayaan-3 — the third mission in the Chandrayaan programme developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) — touched down on the lunar surface on August 23, making India only the fourth country to accomplish the feat. It is also the first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.
The recently launched Aditya-L1 is a coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere.
Singh, the Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said, “Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 spearhead India’s ‘Amrit Kaal’ growth journey over the next 25 years … this era has rightfully (been) called as ‘Modi’s Era’ and the world has hailed Modi for his progressive policy decisions. Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 are its outcomes.”
Singh was speaking at a function to launch the Meri Maati, Mera Desh campaign at Tikri-1B panchayat in his home constituency of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur.
The campaign marks the beginning of the Amrit Kalash Yatras, starting all over the country and including a collection of ‘mitti and rice’ from every household to symbolise the people’s participation in the motherland’s prosperity.
“India’s recent space marvels have only been possible under Prime Minister Modi, who has opened up new vistas for India’s space sector through the public-private partnership model and now the sky is not the limit dictum has become true for India’s space sector,” the minister said.
He said the last nine years have witnessed a quantum leap in India’s space journey, making it stand at par with NASA and Roscosmos, which are now collaborating with ISRO for space expeditions.
“The supremacy which India has evidently demonstrated before the world in terms of its human resource and human calibre through cost-effective means despite constrained resources has put India as a frontline nation and a scientific-cum-economic force to reckon with,” Singh said.
He added that the whole world gives credit for all this to Modi for having taken several progressive policy decisions such as bringing all the stakeholders together to put in a joint effort with a collective contribution.
During the event, he also urged the people to participate in ‘Amrit Kalash Yatras’, take the ‘Panch Pran’ pledge and commit to India’s progress and development so as to witness the country reaching its zenith in 2047.
