Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
inaugurates Kalpana Chawla Centre for Research in Space Science &
Technology at Chandigarh University, Gharuan
Defence Minister launches
Defence Scholarship Scheme worth Rs 10 Crore for wards of defence personnel
Rajnath Singh calls for long term public-private partnership to make
India a knowledge economy
Chandigarh University's 'CUSAT' to be
one of the 75 student-made satellites being launched as a part of Amrut
Mahotsav
Reiterating the government’s
commitment of strengthening the private sector for the holistic development of
the nation, Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh Ji on Monday said that an
active and long-term public-private partnership is crucial to take the
education & science sectors to a global level and make India a knowledge
economy. He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Kalpana Chawla
Centre for Research in Space Science & Technology (KCCRSST) at Chandigarh
University, Gharuan, the first of its kind in North India.
The Union Minister also launched
Chandigarh University’s Defence Scholarship Scheme, worth Rs 10 Crore, for the
wards of Defence Personnel of the three services.
Addressing the gathering, Shri
Singh hailed the establishment of the KCCRSST, and said that it is only through
efforts like these that India can become a leader in future technologies. Likening
the Research Centre with ‘pride of India’ Kalpana Chawla, the Defence Minister hoped
that this research facility would touch new heights of success, similar to the
remarkable achievements of the late India-born astronaut who brought universal
recognition to her country of origin.
Established with the objective
of training students in space science and satellite development and to meet
future challenges in the area of space research, this state of the art space
centre would be the Ground Control Station (GCS) for the Chandigarh
University's Student Satellite (CUSAT), an in-house developed nano-satellite
being designed by the students of Chandigarh University, and a Geo Spatial
Centre for research, besides other important projects.
Chancellor of Chandigarh
University, S. Satnam Singh Sandhu, senior vice-president Prof Himani Sood,
eminent scientists, faculty and students were present during the inauguration
ceremony.
The Defence Minister lauded
the Chandigarh University for setting records of success in research &
innovation, placements and global rankings in the last few years and described
the achievements of the University as a symbol of the increasing participation
of the private sector in the field of education.
“All these achievements of
Chandigarh University are examples of the increasing importance of private
sector in the education sector of our country. I believe that if the education,
knowledge-science of our country has to reach the world level, and the country
has to be made a 'knowledge economy', then the public and private sector of the
country will have to work together, and in this direction we Moving forward
fast,” he said in his address, after the inauguration.
Noting that space sector is
deeply connected with our lives from national development to national security,
Shri Singh said that the Government understands the potential of this space and
is committed to take it to newer heights and give new direction to the country’s
progress.
Remembering late India-born
astronaut Kalpana Chawla, Shri Rajnath Singh described her as a symbol of women
empowerment, and urged the people to motivate their daughters to go ahead &
touch unimaginable heights, echoing the Government’s vision of increased
participation of women in all sectors.
“It is extraordinary for a
university to have its own space research centre and its own satellite. This is
commendable feat and I am certain that more Indians like Aryabhatta, Vikram
Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Kalpana Chawla will emerge from amongst you all if
you eye different planets and constellations,” the Defence Minister told the
students present on the occasion.
It may be mentioned here that CUSAT
will be among the 75 student-built satellites to be launched into space on the
eve of the 75th Independence Day in 2022. The Chandigarh University
has joined the list of 13 institutes like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Kanpur, IIT Bombay and became the first university in North India to design and
develop its own satellite. For the project, 75 students of the University have
been working on the Chandigarh University Student Satellite Project under the
guidance of eminent Indian scientists including Padma Shri Prof RM Vasagam,
Padma Shri Dr Mylaswamy Annadurai, Padma Shri YS Rajan, Padma Bhushan Dr BN
Suresh, Padma Shri Dr BN Dattaguru, V Mahadevan, Dr L V Muralikrishna Reddy,
and Dr K Gopalakrishnan.
With the launch of CUSAT,
Punjab will become the first border state in India to have its own satellite in
space. The launch of the university's nanosatellite-CUSAT will prove to be an
important step for the country, as it will collect data related to border
intrusion detection, agriculture, weather forecasting, natural disaster
forecasting, which will be helpful in research and study of various problems in
these areas. In addition, the GCS will help develop satellite research
facilities and launch satellites in countries that do not have developed
satellite technology. The GCS under the KCCRSST will monitor majority of Low
Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites including CUSAT and being a member of SatNOGS
project, will be monitoring more than 380 satellites with over 810 transmitters
in more than 50 Countries.
Speaking on the occasion,
Chancellor of Chandigarh University, S. Satnam Singh Sandhu said that ever
since our inception, the university has been striving to provide quality,
innovative and experiential learning to its students and establishment of this
centre is one of the steps in this direction.
“We have always been a pioneer
in the field of Research and Development and this centre of excellence will
further strengthen our position in aerospace technology. This state of the art
centre, will not be limited to the students of Chandigarh University. We will
soon be announcing short term courses for Satellite design and development,” he
said.
“Through this centre, which
has come up at the cost of Rs 3.50 Crore, Chandigarh University will help in
developing satellite research facilities in 57 countries including Brazil,
Egypt, Colombia, Turkey as well as train foreign students for satellite design
and development,” S. Sandhu added.
