‘Oppn under pressure to follow BJP work style’
Avtar Bhat
SAMBA, Mar 12: Union Minister in PMO with independent charge of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that Opposition parties are under constant pressure to follow BJP’s style of functioning and adopt the political culture the basis of which was laid by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
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Dr Jitendra Singh, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of inauguration of Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Sciences which is India’s second of its kind Space Training Institute in J&K in the 75th year of independence at the Central University of Jammu near here, said new political culture which got birth in the country has forced the opposition parties to adopt the same if they wanted to sustain in the polity of the country.
The Union Minister said to come up to the expectation of the people the political parties have to adopt the policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who created a work culture in the Government. The BJP is committed to public welfare and it works 24×7 a year, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh while taking a dig at the Congress, said it has created such a norm in the country for last 50 to 60 years that the elections were fought on religious and caste issues. But Modi Government has changed this mindset and it took every one along irrespective of his caste or religion as it believed in ‘Sabka Saath and Sabka Vishwas.’
He said in view of the election strategies of 21st century the main public service will be to fulfil the aspirations of the people.
Dr Jitendra Singh while responding to a question that landslide victory of AAP in Punjab is an indication that it is a challenge to Modi said that a parallel can’t be drawn this way. The vote AAP got in Punjab was anti establishment while BJP was not in power there. The party maintained coalition dharma up to last during its alliance with Akalis and despite the pressure from various circles that party should part ways “we maintained coalition dharma and these “were Akalis who parted ways, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh, however, asserted that in future it will be BJP which will emerge as a viable political force in Punjab.
Regarding holding of elections in J&K he said the decision in this regard can be taken by Election Commission of India (ECI) but BJP activists are always ready for poll. “Whether it is Assembly or local bodies elections the party is always prepared for the same”, he added,
Later, addressing the inaugural function of Space Institute at CU, he said the first course with an intake capacity of 60 students will start this year.
The centre has ground-based observations for atmospheric studies, research lab for astrophysics, atmospheric sensing and glacier studies lab for better use of large quantities of water stored in the form of seasonal snow, ice and glaciers in the rivers of North India.
“This is a historic day not only for Jammu but for entire North India because space technology was restricted to South India. Under the leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on one hand, the unlocking of space for private players was ensured, and on the other, a decision was taken why not to open space technology institutions in other parts of the country,” the Union Minister after inaugurating the centre.
Dr Jitendra Singh, who also inaugurated the conference ‘Frontiers of Space Technology and Applications for Humanity’, said that at his suggestion, the centre was named after the former Chairman of ISRO Satish Dhawan as he was a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, and a “real pride” of the Dogra community.
“He (Satish Dhawan) went to Bangalore (now Bengaluru) from here and it was because of him that the headquarters of Space Research was set up in Bangalore and not Delhi as he was working on several important projects,” Dr Jitendra Singh said.
The Union Minister said this is only the second teaching institute of its kind in the country, the first being situated in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.
“We will start the first course this year and the intake capacity will be 60 seats. The selection criteria will be IIT-JEE so that there are no allegations of discrimination or anything else,” he said.
Singh said the start-up programme has picked up in a big way in South India but has not progressed here as expected as “Government jobs have got deeply rooted” in the mindset of the people.
“The new avenues provided by PM Modi are more lucrative than Government jobs and we need to reach out to the people,” the Minister said, adding the new avenues like drones and space technology have made inroads in every sector, including housing, smart cities, railways and highways.
Asking the youth to become self-reliant, he said, “The purple revolution started by IIIM Jammu (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute Of Integrative Medicine) is spreading fast across the country. Jammu has a lot of potential for diary and space technology.”
Purple Revolution is Jammu and Kashmir’s contribution to start-ups India. Also called ‘Aroma Mission’, it was launched by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology through the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
The Union 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 and caters to the needs of most of the neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc.
Dr Jitendra 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 25 years from here would be crucial for the country as said by the Prime Minister .
Dr. Jitendra Singh maintained that the ascent of India as a frontline nation of the world has already started through the medium of space.
Paying rich tributes to Satish Dhawan, Dr. Singh said that Satish Dhawan being the son of the soil & the doyen of space technology in India was to be celebrated much earlier in J&K but it took us 70 years to celebrate his contribution today in the form of this institution at Central University of Jammu.
Former Chairman, ISRO, Dr. K Radhakrishnan in his address said that when India has become a role model for the rest of the world in terms of Space Technology, Satish Dhawan is a reverential role model for the students. Dr. Radhakrishnan wished that this institution would be the prestigious institution in years to come all over the country like the other premier space institutes.
Chairman ISRO, Somnath S said that space technology now is an integral part of life and safety and security of this nation will depend on how strong the nation is going to be in space sector. The chairman further said that the communication revolution which is important in many ways like in the growth of industries, space has to be behind it.
Dr. Sam Dayala Dev, Director, IIST, Dr. Y V.N Krishnamurthy, Registrar, IIST, Sudheer Kumar N, Director, CBPO, Prakash Chauhan, Director, IIRS, Dr. Kuruvella Joseph, Dr. Amit Kumar Patra, Prof. Sanjeev Jain, Vice Chancellor, Central University Jammu besides other scientists and staff were present in the conference.
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