New Delhi: Discussion is underway in Lok Sabha on the success of the Chandrayaan -3 Mission and other achievements of the nation in the Space sector. Replying to the discussion, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said, India is eagerly waiting for the awakening and establishing communication with its Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover which have landed on the south pole of the Moon. He said, if India would be able to do so in a few hours, it would be the first country to achieve this feat. Mr. Singh said the Department of Space budget has doubled in the last nine years with a 142 percent increase. He added that the annual budget for all the Science Ministry and Departments was over 21 thousand crore rupees in 2013-14 which has now increased to over 57 thousand crore rupees. He said, all the stakeholders have been brought together and a healthy synergy has been made among them. He said, this government has opened up the space sector for the private sector and as a result over 150 startups have emerged in this sector. He said, today the world is recognizing the potential of the Indian space sector.
When the House met this morning, Speaker Om Birla congratulated the nation on the stupendous achievement of the ISRO saying that these achievements have made every Indian proud and the country’s stature rose at the global level. He said, the success of the Chandrayaan 3 mission is a testament to the tireless commitment of Indian scientists and engineers. He expressed happiness that Pragyan Rover has sent valuable information from the Moon which would enhance human knowledge about space and pave the way for future discoveries.
Initiating the discussion, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh said, the success of Chandrayaan-3 is a big achievement for India. He said, India has also become the first country to reach the southern pole of the Moon. Mr Singh said, most of the developed countries of the world are still continuing their efforts towards reaching the Moon. He congratulated the scientists of ISRO especially the women scientists for the success of Chandrayaan. Highlighting the role of culture, and scientific temperament, Mr. Singh said, science and culture complement each other and both are necessary for humanity. Participating in the discussion, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, India scripted history by successfully soft-landed on the surface of the Moon making the country the fourth one in the world to achieve this feat. He recalled the contribution of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, renowned Indian scientist Vikram Sarabhai, and Satish Dhawan in the field of space science. He said, Indian space research is the only programme that primarily focussed on developmental aspects, weather forecasting, and communication. A Raja of DMK congratulated the entire scientific team involved in Chandrayaan 3 Mission. He also recalled the contribution of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Vikram Sarabhai in setting up ISRO. Prof. Sougata Roy of Trinamool Congress said, that Chandrayaan 3 success is not the result of one individual but the result of efforts made by several scientists during the past decades. Supriya Sule of NCP stressed developing scientific temper in young minds. Dimple Yadav of Samajwadi Party congratulated the scientists of ISRO for the remarkable success of Chandrayaan 3. NK Premachandran of RSP said, the remarkable achievement of ISRO not only underscores the power of Indian scientists but also highlights the extraordinary journey of scientific development that India embarked upon since the establishment of ISRO.
Jayant Sinha of the BJP highlighted the rich traditions of India in the fields of mathematics and astronomy. He said, ISRO’s budget has doubled in the last nine years. He said, the space sector has been opened for the private sector by the present government and as a result, 140 startups are functioning now in the space sector. Tejasvi Surya of BJP credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making India future-proof and tomorrow-ready by institutionalising and supporting important scientific missions. Union Minister and Apna Dal MP Anupriya Patel said, this is the result of efforts made by scientists and visionary leadership that India has accomplished such a remarkable feat. She said, the budget for the space programme has been doubled under the present Government which now stands at 13 thousand crore rupees.
Sri Krishna Devarayalu Lavu of YSR Congress, Prataprao Jadhav of Shiv Sena, Dileshwar Kamait of JD(U), Achyutananda Samanta of BJD, Kotha Prabhakar Reddy of BRS, Karti Chidambaram of Congress, Dr. Satya Pal Singh of BJP, Malook Nagar of BSP, Hema Malini of BJP and others also spoke on the Bill.
