Gujarat govt signs MoU with IN-SPACe to set up space manufacturing cluster

The Gujarat government on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to set up a space manufacturing cluster at Sanand in Ahmedabad district.

Ahmedabad-headquartered IN-SPACe is an autonomous agency of the Department of Space (DOS) that works to promote various space activities of non-governmental entities including building launch vehicles and satellites and providing space-based services, etc.

As per the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), IN-SPACe will provide incentives and technical guidance to space technology equipment manufacturing units and startups. For this purpose, a technical support and incubation center will also be set up at the IN-SPACe's headquarters, the government said.

The government will provide land and infrastructure suited to the space and allied sectors to operate in the cluster, as per a government release.

The government is committed to working to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream to take India to new heights with a target to set up a space station by 2035 and a similar mission to the moon by 2040, and has signed an important MoU to contribute towards this goal, it said.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

The government separately said MoUs expressing investment intentions of Rs 18,485 crore have been signed so far in the run-up to the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) scheduled next January.

The government claimed 71 per cent of the MoUs signed so far under the VBGS since its inception in 2003, and 81 per cent of the agreements signed in the 2019 summit have been implemented on the ground.

"MoUs of Rs 18,485 crore have been signed so far in the run-up to the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Summit which will provide more than 65,032 employment opportunities in the state. With a 'MoU Plus' method followed this year, the success ratio is expected to increase to 90 per cent," said state minister and government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel.

The government has also introduced the "Vibrant Gujarat-Vibrant District ' (VGVD) programme this year at the district level to engage with investors in small and medium industries, he said, adding that programmes were organised in 27 out of 33 districts so far.

MoUs with investment intention of Rs 39,503 crore have been signed under VGGD which are likely to create 1,50,815 employment opportunities, he added.