New Delhi, Oct 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday cited his dispensation’s push for wide-ranging reforms, including the privatisation of Air India, to assert that the country never had a more “decisive government”.
Launching the Indian Space Association (ISpA), an industry body aspiring to be the voice of the country’s space sector, Modi noted that fields like mining, coal, defence and space have been opened to private players, and said his government’s clear policy about public sector enterprises is to open those to private industry where its presence is not required.
The prime minister referred to the successful bid to privatise loss-making government-run airline Air India, and said this shows his dispensation’s commitment and seriousness. An unshakable faith in India’s capabilities and the belief that it is not an iota less than any other country in the world are driving its approach and reforms in the 21st century, Modi told the audience after members of the space sector shared their views. “It is the government’s responsibility to remove any obstacle in that direction, and the government is leaving no stone unturned for this. India never had a more decisive government,” he said, adding that the reforms related to the space sector and technology are a part of these efforts.
Space sector, he noted, was once synonymous with the government sector but his government has worked to change this mindset.
He said this is not a time for linear innovations for the country but for exponential innovation and this, Modi added, will be made possible when the government plays the role of an enabler and not handler. That is why it has been sharing expertise in sectors ranging from defence to space, he noted.
The PM said India is seeing reforms on such a wide scale because its vision is clear, which is about having an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. This is not merely a vision but a well-though, planned and integrated economic strategy too, he said, adding that it is aimed at making India a powerhouse of global manufacturing.
He said India is among the few countries which has end-to-end technology in the space sector and called upon the industry to work to make the country a part of supply chain for the end-to-end space system. As a partner, the government has been helping industry, young innovators, start-ups and will continue doing so, he added.
The space sector is a major medium for the progress of 130 crore countrymen, Modi said, adding the field for India means better mapping, imaging, and connectivity facilities to help people. The space sector also means better speed from shipment to delivery for entrepreneurs, this also means better security and income for fishermen and better forecast of natural calamities, he added.
The ISpA will undertake policy advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian space domain, including the government and its agencies, the government has said.
Echoing the PM’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, the ISpA will help in making India self-reliant, technologically advanced and a leading player in the space arena, it added.
The ISpA is represented by leading home-grown and global corporations with advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies. Its founding members include Larsen & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Ltd. Other core members include Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Ltd, BEL, Centum Electronics and Maxar India. (PTI)
