ISRO is playing a significant role in the development and progress of the nation. The application of space technology in agriculture, soil, water resources, land use, land cover, rural development, earth and climate studies, geosciences, urban and infrastructure, disaster management support, forestry, ecology and using geospatial technology for enabling decision support systems are testimonial to the developmental role of ISRO.

ISRO’s role in developmental activities

• Agriculture: ISRO’s technology is being used to carry out crop production forecasts for major crops and to improve crop condition and productivity by using remote sensing satellite data.
• Rural Development: ISRO has launched Village Resource Centres (VRCs) to provide space based services directly to rural areas like Tele-Medicine, Tele-Education, Panchayat planning, marketing information, etc.
• Resource Management: ISRO, through its Earth Observation Satellites, provides for effective management of natural resources.
• Railways: Applications of space technology are realised in guarding unmanned railway crossings, detecting obstructive objects on rail tracks to avoid rail accidents, etc.
• Education: EDUSAT provides connectivity to schools, colleges, and higher levels of education and also supports non-formal education including development communication.
• Disaster Management: Using geoportals like Bhuvan to address aspects of natural disasters, using space based weather forecast inputs, etc.
• Navigation: NavIC or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is an independent regional navigation satellite developed and maintained by ISRO. Applications include maritime field, mobile navigation, defence, etc.
• Urban Development: High resolution satellite data provides accurate information on current land-use practices in a city or a town which aids evidence based policy making.
• COVID-19: ISRO is also engaged in repurposing existing resources, scaling up of capacity of their facilities and also transferred technology to supplement the country’s fight against the second wave of COVID-19.

These developments are in sync with the ISRO’s vision to harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration. It has been in the forefront of using technological advancements for the benefit of the people of the nation in various ways and will need continuous support and encouragement to further the cause.