'IN-SPACe will make India a space giant, previous govts didn't do enough': Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah stated IN-SPACe will open up a plethora of opportunities in the space sector for Indian space companies and will make India a 'space giant'. He was addressing the audience after the inauguration of the IN-SPACe headquarters in Ahmedabad.

It's pertinent to mention Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has been formed to encourage the participation of the private sector in the area of space applications. It will be the nodal agency for approving the usage of the department of space infrastructure by private entities. 

HM Amit Shah stated India has surpassed a major milestone in the space sector after the inauguration of IN-SPACe. He said, "Without any exaggeration, after having a look at the stalls of the 13 startups, I would like to say the inauguration of the Head Quarters of IN-SPACe will prove to be a big step towards India becoming a space giant."

Setting up an ecosystem for the development of the Indian space sector 

The central government under the leadership of Narendra Modi started working on the space sector immediately after coming to power in 2014. For India to take a giant leap in the space sector, HM Shah said, "In the year of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' the central government has brought together the achievements of the Indian space sector and combined it with the private sector including startups. PM Narendra had strategised for it two years back and it all started with introducing major policy reforms in the space sector."

The opening of IN-SPACe will not only lead to the development of India's space sector by opening up immense possibilities but it will also contribute to the economy by manifesting the inherent opportunities in the space industry, Shah said.

Lack of work in policy-making

Taking a dig at the opposition for ignoring the space sector, HM Shah said, "After doing an elaborate study I would like to state the previous governments didn't do the required amount of work in policy making. Many areas associated with the common masses and technocrats were left untouched because of the lack of the required policy support. The Narendra Modi government after taking over the reins in 2014 formed policies in a number of areas to open up the possibilities in the respective sectors. Space is one of these areas."

IMAGE: TWITTER@AMITSHAH