Vijay Garg
The year 2023 saw india emerging as a global leader in Science and Technology. A rejuvenation could be felt in every field of science and technology, from agriculture to space research. This rejuvenation is mainly due to various activities taken by the government during the last decade. Nature’s 10, a compilation of ten people they believe have had a major impact on science, published by the prestigious scientific journal Nature, has selected our Kalpana Kalahasti, who played a crucial part in ensuring Chandrayaan-3’s triumphant touchdown. India has jumped to the third position in the global ranking in scientific publications and the number of patents filed.The government’s Digital India initiative has significantly increased internet penetration, making India the world’s second-largest internet market. The rapid evolution of computing technologies since the latter half of the 20th century has brought about transformative changes in every facet of our lives. The government of India, recognizing the significance of quantum computing, approved a substantial funding package of US$730 million for the National Quantum Mission (NQM) in April of last year.The year 2023 has been a turning point in Indian space science as we gained a top position in the space race along with other developed countries.
India’s lunar lander reaches the dark side of the moon. Indian scientists achieved something unprecedented with their Chandrayaan-3 moon lander, marking the first successful mission to reach the unexplored lunar south pole, believed to harbour frozen water reservoirs. Launched in July 2023, the success of Chandrayaan-3 not only underscored India’s significant role in space exploration but also demonstrated that a moon lander could be deployed successfully at an economic cost of $75 million (£60 million). India sent Aditya-L1, its first mission to study the Sun, into space just a few days after landing on the Moon. The rocket that lifted off on September 2 is now 1.5 million km (932,000 miles) away from Earth. It should arrive at its target L1 or Lagrange point 1 of the Sun-Earth system on January 6, 2024, enabling the spacecraft to view the Sun without any eclipses.The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also completed the first in a series of test flights for its proposed manner mission Gaganyaan, on October 21, 2023. The mission will put India on the small and exclusive list of countries that can launch a crewed spacecraft by itself-Gaganyaan. ISRO has more ambitious plans, as the Hon.Prime Minster Narendra Modi envisioned, to put an Indian space station in orbit by 2035 and take an Indian astronaut to the Moon in 2040. In the Union Budget for 2023-2024, the Centre has earmarked Rs 600 crore for the ‘Samudrayaan’ Deep Ocean Mission, which is aimed at exploring marine biodiversity for the sustainable utilization of resources. A significant component of this mission involves India’s inaugural expedition to a depth of 6,000 meters using the domestically developed submersible ‘Matsya6000,’ crewed by a team of three. India has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the renewable energy sector, securing the fourth rank in installed capacity for renewable, wind, and solar power. On January 4, 2023, the Union Cabinet, led by PM Modi, approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Even after doing focused research, we were at a loss in controlling environmental pollution and food adulteration, the pillars of human survival. Similarly, on solid waste management and plastic pollution, our scientists have failed to come out with any concrete measures to tackle it. Unfortunately, the focus on these areas has been very poor.
(The author is Retired Principal Educational columnist malout).
