Rajya Sabha today unanimously adopted the resolution congratulating the scientists on the success of Chandrayaan -3. It was adopted at the conclusion of the discussion on India's Glorious Space Journey marked by the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan -3. Reading the resolution, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that India’s Space programme is a source of national pride. It is a continuing testimony to the Nation’s inherent, scientific and technological prowess. He said, affirmative ecosystem and visionary leadership have enabled our scientists to fully realise their potential, unleash their energy and attain this historical milestone. He said, this House recognizes and appreciates the scientists, including the women scientists, for achieving this arduous feat with the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 near the unconquered south pole of the Moon. He added that this accomplishment, along with the other space missions, will usher in long-lasting economic and social upliftment.
Earlier, when the House assembled in the morning, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, India is only the fourth country in history which has softly landed a spacecraft on the moon. He said that the success of Chandrayaan-3 has established India as the first country to achieve a soft landing on the moon's South Pole. He added that with this achievement, India has become a member of the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led multilateral initiative to place humans on the moon by 2025.
Highlighting the achievements made by Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan Mission and ISRO Solar Mission Aditya L1, Mr. Dhankhar said, India has shown to the world that the sky is not the limit, but it is just the beginning. Mr Dhankhar said, India has not only developed the capacity to launch its own satellite but has also extended its services to launch satellites of other countries. He said ISRO achieved a significant milestone by successfully launching a total of 177 foreign satellites from January 2018 to November 2022. The Chairman said, India launched 424 foreign satellites so far and 90 per cent were launched in the last nine years.
Initiating the discussion, Union Minister and Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal said, the Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO has made the entire nation proud by conducting a successful landing of Chandrayaan-3- 3 on the moon's surface. He said, India showcased its cost-effectiveness in the space sector in comparison to other nations. He said, many countries have expressed the desire to join India’s space mission.
Participating in the discussion, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, Vikram Sarabhai created the Indian Space Research Organisation to give a developmental boost to the Indian Space programme. He said, the Indian space programme is the only programme focussing on developmental aspects like the use of space for weather forecasting, communication and rural development. Mr Ramesh said, the success of Chandrayaan 3 is based on the capabilities created over the past six decades.
Union Minister of Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the success of the Chandrayaan 3 mission is a time for celebrating science and scientists. He said, Indian scientists are full of talent and capabilities. Dr Singh said, in the last nine years the budgetary allocation for the Department of Space has gone up by 142 per cent. He said, the budgetary allocation was only around five thousand 168 crore rupees in 2013-14, while it was increased to around 13 thousand in the current fiscal.
Dr Singh said, the country has so far earned 174 million US Dollars by launching foreign satellites, out of which 157 million US dollars was earned in the last nine years. He said, the Chandrayaan-3 has cost 600 crore rupees. Dr Singh said, Indian scientist has given the world cost-effective Space missions.
Participating in the discussion, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, ISRO has contributed immensely to the space sector. She said, the investment in the space sector is the investment in the future. Mrs Sitharaman said that in 1975, India took the help of the Soviet Union to launch its first satellite Aryabhatta, and today India has launched 431 foreign satellites for other countries till July this year.
Participating in the discussion, Jawahar Sircar of Trinamool Congress congratulated Indian science and stressed the need for freeing science from bureaucracy.
Tiruchi Siva of DMK said that it is a proud moment that the whole world is celebrating the success of Chandrayaan-3 and India is the first country which has landed on the south pole of the moon.
Sandeep Kumar Pathak of AAP emphasised providing all basic and required facilities for the scientists to ensure the development of the country. M Thambidurai of AIADMK appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all other Prime Ministers and the scientific community for their contribution to India’s space journey.
Sanjay Rout of Shiv Sena (UBT) said that the Chandrayaan-3 has created history and this is the result of teamwork.
Arun Singh of BJP said that the success of Chndrayaan- 3 is a big achievement for India.
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment also participated in the discussion.
Dr Sivadasan of CPI, K R Suresh Reddy of BRS and A D Singh of RJD, Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar of TDP, Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav of SP, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD and Mahua Maji of JMM were among those participated in the discussion. After the end of the discussion, the Rajya Sabha Chairman adjourned the House for the day.
