Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and said that he was “delighted to spend time in the company of a head of state who is scientifically thoughtful.” The award-winning astrophysicist also gifted his book “Space Chronicles” to PM Modi. Taking a quote from the book – “For me, the sky is not the limit” – Tyson signed the copy with the words, “Prime Minister Modi, for whom the sky is not the limit.”
A delighted PM Modi responded with a “wah” as the two shared a laugh.
"I was delighted to spend time with the Leader, who is Scientifically thoughtful. Sky is not the limit for PM @narendramodi", says American Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson @neiltyson @PMOIndia #ModiInUSA #HistoricStateVisit #GlobalDiplomacy #USIndiaRelations pic.twitter.com/QqmnjiKPtk
— DD News (@DDNewslive) June 21, 2023
Tyson said after the meeting, “I was delighted to spend time in the company of a head of state who is as scientifically thoughtful as is Prime Minister Modi.”
“So many leaders of the world that I think their priorities might be out of balance with what it needs to be going into the 21st century…with all the challenges we have in civilisation, the solutions are going to come from innovations, and science, and technology, and engineering, and math. And it’s very clear to me that he (PM Modi) cares about all of this,” Tyson added.
“Obviously he (PM Modi) reserved his conversations about space for me and I guess..Elon was here a few minutes before I got here. But it’s clear that space matters quite a bit to the Prime Minister.”
Talked space, science and related issues with @neiltyson. Highlighted steps India is taking to reform the space sector and draw more youngsters towards science as well as innovation. pic.twitter.com/aeOuXEjEau
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
The author concluded with a hopeful message about India. “I was delighted to hear about future programmes that he has in mind. I’m quite sure I’m not alone when I say the potential for what India can accomplish knows no limits. So I see a very bright future for India.”
Before Neil Tyson, Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk also met the Prime Minister. Declaring that he is a fan of PM Modi, Musk said, “I can say he really wants to do the right thing for India. He wants to be open, he wants to be supportive of new companies, obviously, but at the same time, make sure it accrues to India’s advantage, which is obviously that’s the job I’m saying.”
Day 1 of PM Modi’s U.S visit was packed with meetings with various thought leaders and interaction with the Indian diaspora. PM Modi is on a four-day State visit to the United States.
Big boost to the space sector under Modi govt
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a firm believer in evolving with the relevance of the times we live in. He has been a strong proponent of technology-driven solutions to social, environmental, and healthcare challenges.
More than 120 space technology start-ups have sprouted under PM Modi. He brought in public-private participation in the Indian space sector.
PM Modi also launched the Indian Space Association in 2021.
353 out of the total 385 foreign satellites launched so far have been launched during the last 9 years of the Modi govt. 174 million USD have been earned while the launching of the European Satellites has yielded 86 million Euros.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that “under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last 9 years had witnessed a quantum jump in India’s Space journey and India now stands at par with countries like the USA which had begun their Space journey several years or decades before us.”
ISRO and GoI have signed four cooperative documents specifically to collaborate in space exploration in the last 5 years.
