India Declares August 23rd as “National Space Day” to Honor Chandrayaan-3 Success

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 12th August. The Government of India has officially declared August 23rd as “National Space Day” to commemorate the outstanding success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, which achieved a historic soft landing of the Vikram Lander and deployed the Pragyaan rover near the Moon’s South Pole. This remarkable feat marks India as the fourth nation to land on the Moon and the first to do so near the lunar south pole. The celebration aims to inspire the younger generation in the field of Space Science and Technology, with events being held across the country during July and August 2024.

As part of these celebrations, the Department of Fisheries will host the “Celebration of National Space Day” tomorrow at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh, will preside over the event, with the presence of Ministers of State for Fisheries, Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel and Shri George Kurian, as well as other distinguished guests including Dr. Abhilash Likhi, Secretary of the Department of Fisheries.

To further commemorate the success of Chandrayaan-3, the Department of Fisheries is organizing a series of seminars and demonstrations on “Application of Space Technologies in Fisheries Sector” across 18 locations in coastal states and Union Territories. These sessions will cover topics such as the impact of space technology on fisheries, communication and navigation systems for the marine domain, and the role of satellite-based observation in improving the fisheries sector.

Key stakeholders, including representatives from the Department of Space, INCOIS, New Space India Ltd., fishermen, Sagar Mitras, FFPOs, fisheries cooperatives, and students from fisheries universities, will participate in the events. The seminars will be conducted in a hybrid format.

India’s fisheries sector plays a critical role in the national economy, particularly in rural areas, with an extensive coastline and vast inland water resources. The adoption of space technologies like Satellite Remote Sensing, Earth Observations, and AI has brought transformative changes to the sector, enhancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

The Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) advisories, based on satellite data, have significantly increased India’s marine fisheries potential from 3.49 lakh tonnes in 2014 to 5.31 lakh tonnes in 2023. These advancements, supported by the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), have enabled better catches with reduced time and effort, contributing to the sustainable management of marine resources.

The Department of Fisheries, under PMMSY, has also launched a National Rollout Plan for Vessel Communication and Support System in marine fishing vessels, with plans to install 100,000 transponders on vessels across 9 coastal states and 4 union territories, with an investment of Rs. 364 Crores.