The opening of India’s space sector to private players has created new opportunities for young scientific and technical talent within the country and helped reduce the need to look abroad for employment, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, said today.
Dr Jitendra Singh was addressing students at the NaMo Book Fest at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre, Varanasi, a two-day festival being held on October 7-8 and commemorating 25 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Head of Government, through books written by different authors on various facets of his life, leadership and public service. The festival was coordinated by senior journalist Ashok Shrivastava.
Later, interacting with students in a question-answer session, Dr Jitendra Singh said that earlier, limited opportunities within the domestic space ecosystem meant that many young professionals looked overseas, whereas the opening up of the sector has enabled more talent to stay back and contribute to India’s growing space ecosystem. The emergence of private space startups, including Skyroot, is creating new opportunities for young engineers within the country.
The Minister’s introductory address was followed by an hour-long interaction and panel discussion with students. The panel included Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, Professor Chaturvedi; Dr Sunil Kumar from the ocean sciences; Dr Ekta, Department of Science & Technology; Dr Geeta, Department of Biotechnology; and Dr Jay Jaiswal from the space sector.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the expansion of the space sector represents a fundamental change in India’s scientific ecosystem. “The age of silos is over,” he said, stressing that government institutions, private industry, startups, academia and research institutions must work together to build capabilities that can compete globally. The opening of the sector has transformed space from a predominantly government-led domain into a wider ecosystem in which young professionals and private enterprises can participate.
The transformation is already visible in the growth of India’s space economy, which has reached around USD 9 billion and, if the present momentum continues, could reach USD 45-46 billion over the next 8-10 years, the Minister said. He attributed this expansion to opening the sector and bringing a wider range of stakeholders into India’s space journey.
Dr Jitendra Singh also told students that India’s space story is no longer limited to rockets and launch missions. Space technology is increasingly being used to make everyday life easier, including in infrastructure planning, project monitoring and disaster management. Indian satellites are also providing information to neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka to help them prepare for floods and other disasters, he said.
Taking the students through India’s wider scientific transformation, the Minister said the last 12–13 years have been an “Era of Science” in India, with technology receiving high policy priority and being increasingly used to improve lives. He said India had the scientific talent and human resources for decades, but the enabling policy environment required to convert that potential into national capability has strengthened significantly in recent years.
The Minister cited the Deep Ocean Mission, Quantum Mission, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation among the initiatives creating capabilities in emerging scientific fields. Referring to the Deep Ocean Mission, he said India is beginning to explore the enormous scientific and economic potential of its oceans, including resources that have remained largely unexplored.
On biotechnology, Dr Jitendra Singh referred to India’s dedicated policy framework focused on “Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment”, the development of the world’s first DNA vaccine against COVID-19, and the Genome India initiative as examples of the country’s growing indigenous capabilities and preparation for an era of precision medicine.
Referring to Chandrayaan-3, the Minister said India has demonstrated its ability to undertake sophisticated space missions with remarkable cost efficiency. He said the country has moved beyond the earlier phase in which it largely followed developments elsewhere and is now moving alongside the world, with India already ahead in several areas.
Dr Jitendra Singh also referred to the opening of the nuclear sector to private participation and India’s target of 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047, with nuclear power emerging as an important clean-energy source for future requirements, including AI and data centres. He said the increased priority accorded to research is reflected in the rise in GERD from around 46,000–47,000 crore in 2013–14 to around 2–2.5 lakh crore.
Responding to students on Artificial Intelligence, Dr Jitendra Singh encouraged them to embrace the technology while retaining independent thinking and curiosity. “You have to be intelligent enough to use Artificial Intelligence,” he said, stressing that technology should strengthen human capability rather than replace the curiosity that drives scientific discovery. Pasted text
Dr Jitendra Singh said India’s scientific progress has created a new self-confidence, reflected in the country’s growing global standing and the opportunities now available to its youth. Recalling PM Sh Modi's message “We can do it,” he said India has moved from an era when the world experimented and India followed to one in which scientific developments are taking place in India alongside the rest of the world, with the country moving ahead in several fields.
The next phase, he said, will depend on sustained collaboration, greater opportunities for young talent and the continued conversion of scientific capability into innovation, economic opportunity and solutions for everyday life as India advances towards Viksit Bharat.