05-08-2025
Chandigarh: Punjab Engineering College confers honorary degree on former ISRO chairperson
The Punjab Engineering College (PEC) conferred the prestigious degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) on S Somanath, Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor and former chairman of ISRO during a special ceremony held at PEC on Monday. The event also saw the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in honour of Satish Dhawan, renowned mathematician and former chairman of ISRO, also an alumnus of PEC. S Somanath during the event at PEC, Sector 12, in Chandigarh on Monday. (Keshav Singh/HT)
Somanath, reflecting on his association with Dhawan and ISRO's historic missions, highlighted the importance of academia-industry collaboration in driving innovation. He shared insights into India's upcoming human space programme and urged educational institutions to play a key role in national technological advancement.
The event was attended by dignitaries, including Panjab University (PU) vice-chancellor Renu Vig and former PU V-C Arun Kumar Grover.
Somanath also delivered a lecture at Panjab University under the PU Colloquium Series, titled 'Space Sector in India: Opportunities for Business and Startups.' He spoke on the Indian Space Policy, 2023, which has opened the sector to foreign investment and private enterprise. Highlighting missions like the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, reusable launch vehicles, and Mars exploration plans, he underlined India's aim for a sustained human presence in space by 2047.
He also demonstrated how ISRO's technologies are transforming agriculture through tools like Krishi-DSS and satellite-based insurance systems.
The former ISRO chairman also highlighted the role of satellite data in monitoring tropical cyclones and prediction, issuing forest fire alerts, and disaster management.
'Platforms such as Bhuvan, the Indian Geo-Platform of ISRO, are providing web-based geospatial services for agriculture, forestry, disaster response, and governance, benefitting states like Punjab and Haryana,' he said, adding that India's shift from a government-funded model to a stakeholder-based space ecosystem has triggered a wave of innovation, with private satellite manufacturers, small launch vehicle developers, and data service providers gaining momentum.
This expanding ecosystem, he argued, is expected to generate significant socio-economic benefits, job creation, and global market also called on universities to actively participate in building a self-sustaining space research and industrial ecosystem.
