ADDRESS BY PRIME MNISTER
ON THE OCCASION OF DEDICATION OF INSAT-3C TO THE NATION &
INAUGURATION OF THE ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS TELE-MEDICINE
PROJECT
The Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
dedicated INSAT-3C to the Nation and inaugurated the Andaman &
Nicobar Islands Tele-Medicine Project, here today. Minister of
State for Space, Smt. Vasundhara Raje and Chairman, ISRO, Shri
Kasturirangan, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister and National
Security Adviser, Shri Brajesh Mishra, Scientists and senior officials
were present on the occasion.
"I am delighted to be here today
to dedicate the INSAT-3C to the service of the nation.
INSAT-3C is the largest satellite so far
developed by India. Its successful commissioning is a matter of
pride for all Indians. It is an important stride in India’s space
programme, closely following the successful launch of the first
Geostationery Launch Vehicle about a year ago.
The INSAT system of satellites truly symbolises
our national spirit of self-reliance and our excellence in modern
space technology. It is one of the largest domestic satellite
communication systems in the world. It has extended the reach
of television to the length and breadth of the country. It has
strengthened communications to remote rural areas. It provides
a continuous weather watch and advance warning about cyclones.
By connecting advanced areas of the country
with under-developed and remote locations, the INSAT network helps
to reduce the urban-rural divide and to deliver the fruits of
development to all. A good example is the Swarna Jayanthi Vidya
Vikas Antariksh Upagrah Yojana, which provides education, information
and training to people in remote areas. This scheme is today poised
to grow into a nationwide Gramin Satellite network that will use
communications and remote sensing satellites for a wide range
of rural development applications, including Tele-education and
Tele-health services.
The Tele-medicines pilot project, which I
have the pleasure to inaugurate today, demonstrates another social
dimension to space applications. It places the top medical expertise
of Chennai at the service of patients in far off Andaman &
Nicobar Islands. I am happy to learn that the Indian Space Research
Organisation is planning to implement more such projects covering
hilly, tribal and remote areas.
Friends, my government is conscious of the
immense potential of space technology for bettering the quality
of life of our people. A developing country like ours, with the
technological skills, which we have acquired, cannot afford to
ignore the opportunities for an accelerated development which
space technologies provide us. We have faced many obstacles to
our space programme because of unfounded suspicions about how
we would have used foreign technologies. Our scientists and engineers
have treated these obstacles as opportunities to demonstrate their
innovative abilities. It is a matter of national honour that they
have shown the world what we can deliver with indigenous talents
and resources. Successful utilization of space technology can
be an instrument for enhancing our global role, not through military
power but through development and economic growth.
Our vision for the future includes the development
of fourth generation INSAT satellite systems, more sophisticated
remote sensing satellites and more advanced Geo-stationary Launch
Vehicles.
As I dedicate INSAT-3C to the Nation and
inaugurate the Tele-medicine project, I congratulate all scientists,
engineers and other personnel involved in our space programme.
I assure them of my government’s fullest support in the continuing
quest for harnessing space technology to the crucial tasks of
the nation’s development".
