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PM inaugurates headquarters of IN-SPACe at Bopal, Ahmedabad

Published By : Admin | June 10, 2022 | 16:58 IST
Launch of IN-SPACe is a ‘watch this space’ moment for the Indian space industry
“IN-SPACe is for space, IN-SPACe is for pace, IN-SPACe is for ace”
“The private sector will not just remain a vendor but will play the role of a big winner in the space sector”
“When the strength of government space institutions and the passion of India’s private sector will meet, not even the sky will be the limit”
“Today we can not put the condition of only the government route for carrying out their plans before our youth”
“Our space mission transcends all the differences and becomes the mission of all the people of the country”
“ISRO deserves kudos for bringing momentous transformation”
“India’s space programme has been the biggest identity of Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan”
“India needs to increase its share in the global space industry and the private sector will play a big role in that”
“India is working on a New Indian Space Policy and the policy for ease of doing business in space sector”
“Gujarat is fast becoming a centre of big institutions of national and international level”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) at Bopal, Ahmedabad today. The programme also witnessed the exchange of MoUs between IN-SPACe and private sector companies working in the field of space-based applications and services. The promotion and enabling of private entities in the space sector will provide a major fillip to the space sector and open up new vistas of opportunity for India’s talented youth. Union Minister Shri Amit Shah, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel and representatives of the space industry were among those present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that a wonderful chapter has been added in the development journey of modern India in the 21st century and congratulated all the countrymen, and the scientific community for the headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center i.e. IN-SPACe. The Prime Minister termed the launch of IN-SPACe as a ‘watch this space’ moment for the Indian space industry as it is a precursor to many development and opportunities. He said “IN-SPACe will give an opportunity to the youth of India to showcase their talent to the best minds of India. Whether they are working in the government or in the private sector, IN-SPACe will create great opportunities for all.” The Prime Minister further elaborated “IN-SPACe has the potential to revolutionize India's space industry. So this is what I would say - 'Watch this space'. IN-SPACe is for space, IN-SPACe is for pace, and IN-SPACe is for ace.”

The Prime Minister said that for a very long time, the private sector in the space industry has been viewed merely as a vendor, a system that always blocked the ways of progress for the private sector in the industry. The Prime Minister said only big ideas make winners. By reforming the space sector, freeing it from all restrictions, by supporting the private industry through IN-SPACe, the country is starting a campaign to make winners today. The private sector will not just remain a vendor but will play the role of a big winner in the space sector. When the strength of government space institutions and the passion of India’s private sector will meet, not even the sky will be the limit, the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister said that in the earlier system, India’s youth was not getting the opportunities to realize their potential fully. Indian youth bring innovation, energy and a spirit of exploration with them. It has been the misfortune of the country that with time, the difference between regulation and restriction was forgotten. Today we cannot put the condition of only the government route for carrying out their plans before our youth, the Prime Minister emphasized. He elaborated that the era for such restrictions is over and the government is removing all such restrictions from the path of our youth. He listed the opening of defence production, modern drone policy, geo-spatial data guidelines, and work from anywhere facility in the telecom/IT sector as examples of the government’s intentions. The Prime Minister stressed that it is our endeavour to create maximum Ease of Doing Business environment for the private sector of India so that the private sector of the country helps the countrymen equally in the Ease of Living.

The Prime Minister remarked “whether one is a scientist or a farmer-labourer, understands the techniques of science or does not understand, transcending all that, our space mission becomes the mission of all the people of the country. We saw this emotional solidarity of India during Mission Chandrayaan.” He expressed happiness that more than 60 private companies are leading in the country’s space sectors with advanced preparation. He singled out ISRO for bringing out this momentous change in the space sector of the country. He reiterated the importance of the step of opening up the space sector and credited the expertise and determination of ISRO for this initiative. India’s space programme has been the biggest identity of Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, he said.

“Space-tech is about to become the basis of a major revolution in the 21st century. Space-tech is now going to become a technology not only of distant space but of our personal space”, the Prime Minister pointed out. He said that IN-SPACe needs to work continuously for making the gains of space technology accessible to the people of the country. The Prime Minister said that data collected by the private space companies is going to give them huge power in future. He said that the global space industry is valued at 400 billion US dollars and has a potential to become a 1 trillion dollar industry by 2040. He emphasized that India needs to increase its share in the global space industry and the private sector will play a big role in that. The Prime Minister also saw a strong role for India in the fields of space tourism and space diplomacy. He stressed that there are infinite possibilities in our country but infinite possibilities can never be realized with limited efforts. I assure you that this process of reforms in the space sector will continue uninterruptedly, he assured. The private sector must be heard and understood and business possibilities should be analyzed properly, for this, the Prime Minister said, a strong mechanism has been put in place. IN-SPACe will act as a single window, independent nodal agency to take care of all the needs of the private sector.

India is working on a New Indian Space Policy for coordinating between government companies, space industries, startups and institutions. We are soon going to bring a policy to improve ease of doing business in the space sector, the Prime Minister informed.

He said the future of humanity, its development... there are two areas that are going to be most influential in the coming days, they are - Space and Sea. India needs to move forward without delay in these areas, he said. He said there is a need to increase awareness about the strides and reforms by India in this field. He informed that Atal Tinkering Labs in schools are playing a role in this and he took initiative to create a viewing gallery for 10 thousand people to witness the launch of satellites at Sriharikota.

The Prime Minister expressed happiness that Gujarat is fast becoming a centre of big institutions of national and international level. He listed WHO Global Centre of Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, Rashtriya Raskhsa University, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, National Innovation Foundation, Children’s University, Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and geoinformatics-BISAG and, now, IN-SPACe. He invited youth from all over India, especially from Gujarat, to take full advantage of these institutions.

The establishment of IN-SPACe was announced in June 2020. It is an autonomous and single window nodal agency in the Department of Space for the promotion, encouragement and regulation of space activities of both government and private entities. It also facilitates the usage of ISRO facilities by private entities.

 

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Joint Statement: Official visit of Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India to Kuwait (December 21-22, 2024)
December 22, 2024

At the invitation of His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of India His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Kuwait on 21-22 December 2024. This was his first visit to Kuwait. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi attended the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait on 21 December 2024 as the ‘Guest of Honour’ of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait received Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Bayan Palace on 22 December 2024 and was accorded a ceremonial welcome. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi expressed his deep appreciation to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for conferring on him the highest award of the State of Kuwait ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’. The leaders exchanged views on bilateral, global, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Given the traditional, close and friendly bilateral relations and desire to deepen cooperation in all fields, the two leaders agreed to elevate the relations between India and Kuwait to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. The leaders stressed that it is in line with the common interests of the two countries and for the mutual benefit of the two peoples. Establishment of a strategic partnership between both countries will further broad-base and deepen our long-standing historical ties.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait. In light of the newly established strategic partnership, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations through comprehensive and structured cooperation in key areas, including political, trade, investment, defence, security, energy, culture, education, technology and people-to-people ties.

The two sides recalled the centuries-old historical ties rooted in shared history and cultural affinities. They noted with satisfaction the regular interactions at various levels which have helped in generating and sustaining the momentum in the multifaceted bilateral cooperation. Both sides emphasized on sustaining the recent momentum in high-level exchanges through regular bilateral exchanges at Ministerial and senior-official levels.

The two sides welcomed the recent establishment of a Joint Commission on Cooperation (JCC) between India and Kuwait. The JCC will be an institutional mechanism to review and monitor the entire spectrum of the bilateral relations between the two countries and will be headed by the Foreign Ministers of both countries. To further expand our bilateral cooperation across various fields, new Joint Working Groups (JWGs) have been set up in areas of trade, investments, education and skill development, science and technology, security and counter-terrorism, agriculture, and culture, in addition to the existing JWGs on Health, Manpower and Hydrocarbons. Both sides emphasized on convening the meetings of the JCC and the JWGs under it at an early date.

Both sides noted that trade has been an enduring link between the two countries and emphasized on the potential for further growth and diversification in bilateral trade. They also emphasized on the need for promoting exchange of business delegations and strengthening institutional linkages.

Recognizing that the Indian economy is one of the fastest growing emerging major economies and acknowledging Kuwait’s significant investment capacity, both sides discussed various avenues for investments in India. The Kuwaiti side welcomed steps taken by India in making a conducive environment for foreign direct investments and foreign institutional investments, and expressed interest to explore investment opportunities in different sectors, including technology, tourism, healthcare, food-security, logistics and others. They recognized the need for closer and greater engagement between investment authorities in Kuwait with Indian institutions, companies and funds. They encouraged companies of both countries to invest and participate in infrastructure projects. They also directed the concerned authorities of both countries to fast-track and complete the ongoing negotiations on the Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Both sides discussed ways to enhance their bilateral partnership in the energy sector. While expressing satisfaction at the bilateral energy trade, they agreed that potential exists to further enhance it. They discussed avenues to transform the cooperation from a buyer-seller relationship to a comprehensive partnership with greater collaboration in upstream and downstream sectors. Both sides expressed keenness to support companies of the two countries to increase cooperation in the fields of exploration and production of oil and gas, refining, engineering services, petrochemical industries, new and renewable energy. Both sides also agreed to discuss participation by Kuwait in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve Programme.

Both sides agreed that defence is an important component of the strategic partnership between India and Kuwait. The two sides welcomed the signing of the MoU in the field of Defence that will provide the required framework to further strengthen bilateral defence ties, including through joint military exercises, training of defence personnel, coastal defence, maritime safety, joint development and production of defence equipment.

The two sides unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism and called for disrupting of terrorism financing networks and safe havens, and dismantling of terror infrastructure. Expressing appreciation of their ongoing bilateral cooperation in the area of security, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism operations, information and intelligence sharing, developing and exchanging experiences, best practices and technologies, capacity building and to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, anti-money laundering, drug-trafficking and other transnational crimes. The two sides discussed ways and means to promote cooperation in cybersecurity, including prevention of use of cyberspace for terrorism, radicalisation and for disturbing social harmony. The Indian side praised the results of the fourth high-level conference on "Enhancing International Cooperation in Combating Terrorism and Building Resilient Mechanisms for Border Security - The Kuwait Phase of the Dushanbe Process," which was hosted by the State of Kuwait on November 4-5, 2024.

Both sides acknowledged health cooperation as one of the important pillars of bilateral ties and expressed their commitment to further strengthen collaboration in this important sector. Both sides appreciated the bilateral cooperation during the COVID- 19 pandemic. They discussed the possibility of setting up of Indian pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in Kuwait. They also expressed their intent to strengthen cooperation in the field of medical products regulation in the ongoing discussions on an MoU between the drug regulatory authorities.

The two sides expressed interest in pursuing deeper collaboration in the area of technology including emerging technologies, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. They discussed avenues to explore B2B cooperation, furthering e-Governance, and sharing best practices for facilitating industries/companies of both countries in the policies and regulation in the electronics and IT sector.

The Kuwaiti side also expressed interest in cooperation with India to ensure its food-security. Both sides discussed various avenues for collaboration including investments by Kuwaiti companies in food parks in India.

The Indian side welcomed Kuwait’s decision to become a member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), marking a significant step towards collaboration in developing and deploying low-carbon growth trajectories and fostering sustainable energy solutions. Both sides agreed to work closely towards increasing the deployment of solar energy across the globe within ISA.

Both sides noted the recent meetings between the civil aviation authorities of both countries. The two sides discussed the increase of bilateral flight seat capacities and associated issues. They agreed to continue discussions in order to reach a mutually acceptable solution at an early date.

Appreciating the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for 2025-2029, which will facilitate greater cultural exchanges in arts, music, and literature festivals, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment on further enhancing people to people contacts and strengthening the cultural cooperation.

Both sides expressed satisfaction at the signing of the Executive Program on Cooperation in the Field of Sports for 2025-2028. which will strengthen cooperation in the area of sports including mutual exchange and visits of sportsmen, organising workshops, seminars and conferences, exchange of sports publications between both nations.

Both sides highlighted that education is an important area of cooperation including strengthening institutional linkages and exchanges between higher educational institutions of both countries. Both sides also expressed interest in collaborating on Educational Technology, exploring opportunities for online learning platforms and digital libraries to modernize educational infrastructure.

As part of the activities under the MoU between Sheikh Saud Al Nasser Al Sabah Kuwaiti Diplomatic Institute and the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), both sides welcomed the proposal to organize the Special Course for diplomats and Officers from Kuwait at SSIFS in New Delhi.

Both sides acknowledged that centuries old people-to-people ties represent a fundamental pillar of the historic India-Kuwait relationship. The Kuwaiti leadership expressed deep appreciation for the role and contribution made by the Indian community in Kuwait for the progress and development of their host country, noting that Indian citizens in Kuwait are highly respected for their peaceful and hard-working nature. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi conveyed his appreciation to the leadership of Kuwait for ensuring the welfare and well-being of this large and vibrant Indian community in Kuwait.

The two sides stressed upon the depth and importance of long standing and historical cooperation in the field of manpower mobility and human resources. Both sides agreed to hold regular meetings of Consular Dialogue as well as Labour and Manpower Dialogue to address issues related to expatriates, labour mobility and matters of mutual interest.

The two sides appreciated the excellent coordination between both sides in the UN and other multilateral fora. The Indian side welcomed Kuwait’s entry as ‘dialogue partner’ in SCO during India’s Presidency of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023. The Indian side also appreciated Kuwait’s active role in the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). The Kuwaiti side highlighted the importance of making the necessary efforts to explore the possibility of transforming the ACD into a regional organisation.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi congratulated His Highness the Amir on Kuwait’s assumption of the Presidency of GCC this year and expressed confidence that the growing India-GCC cooperation will be further strengthened under his visionary leadership. Both sides welcomed the outcomes of the inaugural India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers held in Riyadh on 9 September 2024. The Kuwaiti side as the current Chair of GCC assured full support for deepening of the India-GCC cooperation under the recently adopted Joint Action Plan in areas including health, trade, security, agriculture and food security, transportation, energy, culture, amongst others. Both sides also stressed the importance of early conclusion of the India-GCC Free Trade Agreement.

In the context of the UN reforms, both leaders emphasized the importance of an effective multilateral system, centered on a UN reflective of contemporary realities, as a key factor in tackling global challenges. The two sides stressed the need for the UN reforms, including of the Security Council through expansion in both categories of membership, to make it more representative, credible and effective.

The following documents were signed/exchanged during the visit, which will further deepen the multifaceted bilateral relationship as well as open avenues for newer areas of cooperation:● MoU between India and Kuwait on Cooperation in the field of Defence.

● Cultural Exchange Programme between India and Kuwait for the years 2025-2029.

● Executive Programme between India and Kuwait on Cooperation in the field of Sports for 2025-2028 between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and Public Authority for Youth and Sports, Government of the State of Kuwait.

● Kuwait’s membership of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi thanked His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. The visit reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Kuwait. The leaders expressed optimism that this renewed partnership would continue to grow, benefiting the people of both countries and contributing to regional and global stability. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also invited His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, and His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait to visit India.