IIT-Kgp honours Isro chair with Special Life Fellow Award
Times of India | 19 August 2024
Kolkata: Describing himself as a 100% ‘Made in India’ product, Isro chairman S Somanath on Sunday said the skills he acquired were derived from his experience at the Indian space agency.
Somanath, who was awarded the Special Life Fellow Award by IIT Kharagpur on its 74th foundation day, reflected on his years at Isro, crediting his achievements, including Chandrayaan-3, to the great people and leaders he worked with.
“Our work over the past 38 years, including my own, has focused on building key capabilities within this organisation. I am fortunate to have worked with exceptional people, motivators and leaders who have shaped the Indian Space Research Organisation into what it is today. I have had the opportunity to follow in their footsteps and contribute to projects like Chandrayaan-3 that make us all proud,” Somanath said.
DRDO chairman S Kamat emphasised that success in organisations like Isro and DRDO was due to collective efforts and teamwork, not just individual contributions. “The PM has challenged us to become a developed country by 2047 and to emerge as a technology leader. This can only be achieved if academia, industry and R&D organisations collaborate and develop cutting-edge, world-first technologies,” Kamat, an alumnus of the institute, said.
India’s G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant praised IIT Kharagpur for its role in advancing innovation and noted the country’s progress in digital infrastructure and real-time payments. PTI