New Delhi, Aug 26 Congress on Saturday asserted that first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had stressed on self-reliance in India's space programme and the foundation and vast infrastructure for science and technology created in his era was done in the face of trenchant criticism, yet it is the vision of a self-reliant and a scientifically advanced nation that yielded such rich dividends.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "There has been much comment in Pakistan's media on ISRO's outstanding achievements while bemoaning the fact that Pakistan's space agency SUPARCO
was set up in late 1961, a few months before India's INCOSPAR in February 1962.
"What is not recognised is that from day 1 Nehru stressed self-reliance, even as there were some voices in Delhi advocating greater American involvement and some others pleading for closer cooperation with the Soviets," the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said.
Recalling the achievements of Nehru and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he said, "Nehru first and Indira Gandhi later were clear: the space programme had to be designed, controlled and executed by Indian professionals in the civil domain. In this, they were of course guided and influenced by Bhabha, Sarabhai, Dhawan, Haksar and many others."
"The foundation and vast infrastructure for science and technology created in the Nehruvian era, was done in the face of trenchant criticism, that being an extremely poor country India could ill-afford such investments. Yet it is the vision of a self-reliant and a scientifically advanced nation that yielded such rich dividends," he added.
His remarks came in the wake of the success of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission and Pakistan taking two days to congratulate India and Indian scientists on the achievement.
On Saturday, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Bengaluru to meet and congratulate the scientists of the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
After arriving at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) airport, Modi while addressing thousands of people gathered to welcome him, said that not only in India, but every individual in the world who believes in science and the
future is celebrating the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission with the same spirit.
"It is good to see the environment in Bengaluru at dawn to celebrate the success of the science and achievement of the country. I witnessed similar kinds of pictures in Greece and Johannesburg. Every corner of the world not only Indians, people who believe in science, future of the humanity are celebrating the event with the same spirit," the Prime
Minister added.
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