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PM to inaugurate IN-SPACe HQ, medical college, water project in Gujarat tomorrow
IN-SPACe will pave the way for space exploration for private players in the space sector. Its establishment was approved by the Union cabinet headed by PM Modi in June 2020.
AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a one-day visit to the poll-bound Gujarat, his home state, on Friday during which he will inaugurate a number of projects including the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) headquarters in Ahmedabad.
IN-SPACe will pave the way for space exploration for private players in the space sector, said people familiar with the matter in the Gujarat government. It has been conceived as the single-window autonomous nodal agency to enhance participation of private companies in activities related to space science, they said.
The Union cabinet headed by the Prime Minister approved the establishment of IN-SPACe in June 2020. The aim behind setting up this centre was to enable non-government entities to use the facilities of the Department of Space for greater participation of private players in space technology and related activities.
IN-SPACe will considerably ease research in space science for industrialists, technocrats as well as youngsters having their own start-ups, said people familiar with the project.
Prime Minister Modi on Friday will also lay the foundation stone for the new GMERS Medical College in Navsari. In the last five years, the central government has approved nine medical colleges in Gujarat, including AIIMS, Rajkot.
“This medical college will boost healthcare infrastructure and benefit the population of one crore residing in Navsari and the surrounding five districts. We will complete this project by 2024. We are equipping government hospitals in the state with world-class technology and robust healthcare facilities. I am grateful to the Hon Prime Minister for approving nine new medical colleges in Gujarat during the last five years. This improved medical infrastructure will also enable the state to become a Medical Tourism destination in the future,” chief minister Bhupendra Patel said in a statement on Thursday.
Spread over an area of 20 acres, this new medical college in Navsari will be constructed at a cost of ₹542.5 crore.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Astol project to the people of Gujarat during his visit to the state on Friday. This project is to ensure tap water to 4.5 lakh people residing in 174 tribal villages and 1,028 hamlets on the hills of Valsad district.
“It was a challenging task to complete the Astol project in Kaprada and Dharampur talukas of Valsad district, but I am glad our engineers overcame all the hurdles. It’s a technological marvel from the engineering perspective as well. Through this project, we have ensured the availability of water in these hilly areas by taking water to the height of about 200-storey building (1,875 ft),” chief minister Patel said earlier in a statement on Wednesday while giving details of the project.
