Excelsior Correspondent
KOCHI, Sept 6: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that Chandrayaan-2 heralds India’s ascent to the “top”, as the world’s most front-line nation and it is a matter of pride that India’s rise as a global super-power has begun through the medium of Space technology, to be soon followed by India’s imminent rise to the top in every other sphere as well.
Speaking after going through a scientific presentation by the Scientists of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO here, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also Minister of State for Space, said that while the Indian Space Scientists deserve all praise for having overtaken their counterparts abroad through purely indigenous efforts, the credit also goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having provided full government support, encouragement and patronage to India’s space programme.
Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that soon after the Modi government came in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally travelled to Sriharikota to be present among the Space Scientists, led by the then Chairman ISRO Dr K Radhakrishan, during the Mangalyaan Mission. Later, the Prime Minister also visited the Bangalore ISRO station during the MoM Mission. Not only did Modi keep a close track throughout to provide all kind of impetus to Chandrayan-2 mission, but it was at his behest that it was decided to have school children from all over India to visit Bengaluru to witness the historic landing, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh also complimented the Scientists at ISRO, my Gov India team and the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor for their remarkable contribution in successfully conducting an on-line All-India quiz competition for the selection of children visiting Bengaluru, even though this was the first experience and the first experiment of its kind.
From a layman’s point of view, Dr Jitendra Singh said the most simplified way of understanding this achievement is, that India today has overtaken countries like USA and Russia, which began their space journey several decades before us, when we were still singing kindergarten rhymes on Moon.
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