From Gujarat to the nation: How PM Modi's space vision revolutionised governance

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's space vision has revolutionaised governance from Gujarat to nation which now plans to have its own space station by 2035.

From education to agriculture, and even water management, Gujarat under PM Modi's leadership was ahead of its time, demonstrating how technology can be tailored locally to address specific needs.

It's impressive how they used satellite data not just for high-level projects but also for practical, everyday applications that directly benefited the people of the state.

This highlights the innovative approach, Gujarat took, under PM Narendra Modi's leadership in integrating space technology with governance.

The emphasis on localising technology while maintaining universal scientific principles is a powerful reminder of how innovation can be effectively harnessed for regional development.

Modi Archive posted on social media platform X: "A young @narendramodi once scribbled in his diary - 'Science must be universal, but technology must be local'."

"Fast forward to 2009, and this vision was already in full swing!"

"Under the leadership of then Gujarat CM Modi, the state was not just ahead of the curve but setting it when it came to using space technology for everyday life."

Modi Archive also shared a newspaper clipping from 2009, in which the then ISRO chairman, G. Madhavan Nair, emphasised Gujarat's pioneering role in applying satellite data in ways that no other region in India had even imagined. From tele-education to forecasting crop production and mapping minerals to exploring groundwater, remote sensing of gases, urban morphology and identifying fisheries zones - Gujarat was transforming governance using space tech.

"And get this - Gujarat was the FIRST state to use satellite data and 3D imaging for laying out pipelines and check dam routes. By then, CM Modi had already mapped 300,000 check dams across the state!"

On the occasion of the maiden National Space Day, Prime Minister Modi greeted the nation.

Lauding the efforts of the nation's space scientists, PM Modi posted on X, "We recall with great pride our nation’s achievements in the space sector. It is also a day to laud the contributions of our space scientists."

Highlighting the steps his government has taken to boost the space sector, PM Modi said: "Our Government has taken a series of futuristic decisions relating to this sector and we will do even more in the times to come."

With Chandrayaan-3's success, India became the fourth nation after the erstwhile USSR (now Russia), the US, and China to make a soft landing on the moon and the first to have done so in the moon's south polar region.

The theme for the first National Space Day is: "Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga."

--IANS