Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for space technology has revolutionized governance, from his tenure in Gujarat to a national level, with ambitious plans to establish India’s own space station by 2035.
Under Modi’s leadership, Gujarat became a pioneer in leveraging space technology for various sectors such as education, agriculture, and water management, showcasing how locally tailored technological solutions can address specific regional needs. The innovative use of satellite data in Gujarat, not just for high-level projects but for practical applications benefiting the everyday lives of the people, highlighted the state’s forward-thinking approach under Modi’s leadership.
This integration of space technology with governance exemplifies how innovation can be effectively localized while adhering to universal scientific principles. Modi’s early belief, as captured in a diary entry where he wrote, “Science must be universal, but technology must be local,” was already in action by 2009.
The Modi Archive on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) recently shared a 2009 newspaper clipping, where then ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair praised Gujarat for its pioneering role in applying satellite data in unprecedented ways. The state led in tele-education, crop production forecasting, mineral mapping, groundwater exploration, and more. Remarkably, Gujarat was the first state to use satellite data and 3D imaging for planning infrastructure like pipelines and check dam routes, with 300,000 check dams already mapped under Modi’s leadership.
On National Space Day, PM Modi celebrated India’s space achievements and the contributions of the nation’s space scientists. He reiterated the government’s commitment to advancing the space sector, emphasizing India’s recent success with Chandrayaan-3, which made India the first nation to land on the moon’s south pole.
The theme for the first National Space Day, “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga,” reflects the profound impact of space technology on everyday life in India.