While inaugurating North India’s first-ever Space Centre in Jammu today, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh described this as a historic decision and said that most of space technology institutes were in the past confined to Southern States and the only-of-its-kind Indian Institute of Space and Technology imparting Engineering, Aeronautics and other streams was located in Thiruvananthapuram. The opening of the Space Centre and the India’s second-of-its-kind Space Training Institutes in Jammu & Kashmir in 75th years of independence simultaneously marks the march of space journey from Kerala to Kashmir under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and at the same time naming it as Satish Dhawan Centre is befitting tribute to one of the founding-fathers of India’s Space programme who hails from Jammu & Kashmir but ironically not a single institute in J&K was named after it.The Minister said that the future of the world will hugely depend on the upcoming space economy, space collaboration and space diplomacy. Referring to the space economy, he mentioned that India is already receiving revenue worth millions of European Euros and US Dollars through the launching of foreign satellites. Referring to space collaboration, he cited the example of the SAARC satellite which was visualised and developed on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which caters to needs of most of the neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc.The Minister said the credit entirely goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for unlocking space technology and opening it to private players.Dr. Singh also said that India is entering into an era when it is going to play a pivotal role in space technology with India already having taken a lead in the world as far as space technology is concerned. He also said that the twenty five years from here would be crucial for the country as said by the Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi. Dr. Singh maintained that the ascent of India as a frontline nation of the world has already started through the medium of space. Dr. Singh stressed that today is a historical day for the entire North India with the inauguration of Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Sciences at Central University of Jammu & a conference on ‘Frontiers of Space Technology and Applications for Humanity’ in collaboration with Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram.Dr. Singh said that most of the space technology from the last seventy years has been confined to South India mostly to the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala which was an anomaly in the spread of space technology in the country. Dr. Singh maintained that this government is steadfast to take space technology to the remote corners of the country which is evident today with the inauguration of Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Sciences at Central University of Jammu and the other Space Centre has already been established at Agartala Tripura with the support of Prime Minister of India who is himself a space technology enthusiast. Addressing the conference on ‘Frontiers of Space Technology and Applications for Humanity’ at CUJ, Dr. Singh said that the space technology in the country is advanced to the stage that the premier space institutes like NASA requests for the footage of many space adventures brought about by ISRO. The Minister further said that the space technology has been given prime importance by this government and the results are before us with the discovery of water by Chandrayaan not being done even by premier space technology nations showing that India has already taken a lead.Dr. Jitendra Singh said that sixty students will be taken in the course of B. Tech in Aviation and Aeronautics through this institute through JEE in order to build this institute into one of the premier institutes in the country. Dr. Singh also said that the students after studying Aviation and Aeronautics from here would be able to find a career in space technology not only in India but in space institutes like NASA as space technology has huge career opportunities available.
