Parliament Question: Government Support on Flagship Initiative

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 144 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2025 GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ON FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE *144. SMT. PRATIMA MONDAL:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

(a) the manner in which the Government plan to leverage space technology to support flagship national initiatives such as Digital India, Smart Cities Mission and agricultural monitoring; and

(b) whether the Government would provide insights into the measures adopted to build human capital in the space sector including specialized training, research funding and academic collaborations to cultivate a skilled workforce? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

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(a) to (b) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. ***STATEMENT LAID ON THE TABLE OF THE LOK SABHA IN REPLY TO STARRED QUESTION NO. 144 REGARDING ‘GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ON FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE’ ASKED BY SMT. PRATIMA MONDAL FOR ANSWERING ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2025.

(a) Space based inputs are being used in support of several flagship initiatives of the Government, including Digital India, Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Forecasting Agricultural Output using Space, Agrometeorology and Land-based Observation (FASAL) (crop acreage assessment and production forecast), CHAMAN (Coordinated Horticulture Assessment and Management using Geo-iNformatics) (horticulture management), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), PMKSY- WDC (Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (Watershed Development Component), PMGSY, PMFBY, PMAY-HFA, PM GatiShakti etc.

Bhuvan Geoportal and database of Aadhar enrolment centres, use of space technology for geocoded postal address system and Roof-top Photo Voltaic (PV) potential assessment for 60 solar cities & smart cities have been done to support the Digital India and Smart Cities Mission.

Very high-resolution satellite data is used for generating urban geospatial database of AMRUT Cities. Under the FASAL programme, remote sensing data is used for generating crop acreage and forecasting the crop production estimations for 11crops. Under CHAMAN programme, horticulture acreage and production estimation is done for 7 horticulture crops, in addition to management plans for area expansion, post-harvest infrastructure etc. For the MGNREGA programme, geospatial technology is enabled for monitoring the creation of assets and activities, as well as for planning new assets / activities. Under the PMKSY-WDC programme geospatial technology is developed for monitoring the implementation of watershed development interventions and monitoring the impact of the interventions.

Geoportal and very high-resolution satellite data are utilized for monitoring the development of rural roads under the PMGSY programme. Satellite data is being utilized for optimizing the crop cutting experiments, monitoring crop damage, as well as for developing crop yield proxies to facilitate faster claim settlement for farmers, under the PMFBY programme. As part of the PMAY- HFA programme, geoportal and satellite data are being used to monitor the stage of construction of houses of beneficiaries.

(b) With respect to research funding and academic collaboration, ISRO has various research programmes like Sponsored Research

(RESPOND), Space Technology Cell (STC), Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S), Space Technology Incubation Centre

(STIC), Centre of Excellence (COE) and these programmes aims to encourage academia to participate and contribute in various space related activities in space technology, space science and applications areas to universities/institutions. These programmes give an exposure to the students on Space Science, Technology& Exploration, which will enable for building human capital in the space domain.

To equip the next generation of global space enthusiasts and leaders by imparting a holistic, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary education in several aspects of space technologies, policies, space exploration etc, Department of Space (DoS) has proposed to establish a 'Global Space Institute'

(GSpI), a dedicated global institute would help to promote the space economy by guiding the incubation of start-ups, space entrepreneurship, space commercialization and also on possible avenues on private investment into space sector. The institute is expected to actively partner with leading academic institutions, industries, and government agencies, both nationally and internationally, facilitating the advancement of space technology education and creating a network of shared knowledge and resources.

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