Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Prime Minister on the occasion of dedication of INSAT-3C to the nation & Inauguration of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands Tele-medicine project

~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~.