The Congress party has expressed concerns over reports suggesting that the Indian government is planning to privatize the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Jairam Ramesh, the party’s general secretary for communication, alleged that the Narendra Modi government is pursuing an aggressive privatisation agenda for the country’s space programme. According to Ramesh, ISRO’s role in rocket development and manufacture would be severely limited, and a substantial part of its satellite-related assets could be transferred to private companies.
He also claimed that the second spaceport being developed in Tamil Nadu, for which ISRO is investing about ₹1,000 crore, would be handed over to a private company. Ramesh questioned the rationale behind what he described as an effort to strangulate and emasculate ISRO, given its capacities and capabilities built over six decades under the leadership of scientists such as Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, Brahm Prakash, U.R. Rao and A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam. The future of the historic Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh is also uncertain, Ramesh said. While acknowledging that space startups deserve encouragement and support, Ramesh pointed out that ISRO has maintained productive partnerships with the private sector for long, and questioned why its role should now be curtailed.
He also claimed that 100-120 key ISRO professionals have left the organisation in recent months, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall. Ramesh’s remarks come amid a wider policy push to expand private participation in India’s space sector, with the government seeking a greater role for private companies alongside ISRO.
