Guwahati: Presenting the General Budget 2019-20 in the Parliament today, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman said that a Public Sector Enterprise viz. New Space India Limited (NSIL) has been incorporated as a new commercial arm of Department of Space to tap the benefits of the Research & Development carried out by ISRO.

Company to spearhead commercialization of various space products

The Company will spearhead commercialization of various space products including the production of launch vehicles, transfer to technologies and marketing of space products. The Minister said that “India has emerged as a major space power with the technology and ability to launch satellites and other space products at globally low cost. Time has come to harness this ability commercially”.

The Budget Estimates for Department of Space for Financial Year 2019-20 is Rs 12,473.26 crore as compared to the Revised Estimates of Rs 11,200 crore in Financial Year 2018-19.

Outlay of major schemes: (in Rs crore)

It may be mentioned that the Department of Space (DoS) is an Indian government department responsible for the administration of the Indian space program. It manages several agencies and institutes related to space exploration and space technologies. The Indian space program under the DoS aims to promote the development and application of space science and technology for the socio-economic benefit of the country. It includes two major satellite systems, INSAT for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management. It has also developed two satellite launch vehicles, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), to place IRS and INSAT class satellites in orbit.

History

In 1961, the Government of India entrusted the responsibility for space research and for the peaceful use of outer space to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), then under the leadership of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha. In 1962, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) set up the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), with Dr. Vikram Sarabhai as chairman, to organize a National Space Programme.

In 1969, (INCOSPAR) was reconstituted as an advisory body under the India National Science Academy (INSA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation was established. The Government of India constituted the Space Commission and established the Department of Space (DoS) in 1972 and brought ISRO under DoS management on 1 June 1972.

Dr. Kailasavadivoo Sivan is the current chairman, Space Commission, Secretary, Department of Space. Vanditha Sharma is the Additional Secretary of the department.

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