President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said the future Aditya L1 and Gaganyaan missions will not only boost India's standing and embolden research but will also help humanity as a whole.
President Murmu was addressing the inaugural session of a two-day International Conference-cum-Exhibition on 'Aerospace and Aviation in 2047', organised by the Aeronautical Society of India to commemorate its 75th anniversary.

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"Whether it is the feat of successful completion of the Mars mission or showcasing the end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving near the Moon's South Pole - a place considered beyond human endeavour, India has proved that it has the willpower, potential, and capacity to accomplish what it sets out to achieve. The highest standards of quality, cost-effectiveness and punctuality have been the hallmarks of all of our projects," she said.

In her address, President Murmu said that though the country has made long strides, there also remain many challenges. The aerospace sector has been undergoing a transformative phase by bracing up for speed and runway-independent technologies for defence purposes, air mobility and transportation.

She noted that there is a need for upskilling and reskilling of human resources in the Aerospace sector to tackle these issues in the future.

The President commended the entire aerospace and aviation community for their efforts and contribution to the "Amritkaal vision of the technology-driven and knowledge-based economy."

Hailing the Aeronautical Society of India as an organisation which is rightly credited with revolutionising the modern life in many ways, President Murmu congratulated the body for its remarkable journey.

She extended greetings to members of the society for their "outstanding contribution to the advancement and dissemination of the knowledge of aeronautical sciences and aircraft engineering that has made the aeronautical profession as one of the most sought-after and glamorous careers."

The theme of the two-day conference is "Aerospace and Aviation in 2047 - 75 Years of Advanced Aeronautics in India - Achievements, Challenges and Beyond" includes issues such as green Initiatives by Aero Industries; the impact of Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and machine learning on avionics; human capital development and infrastructure growth; empowering women in the sector and encouraging startups for creative disruptions.

Referring to the Startup Quest 2023 introduced by the Society, which offers up to Rs 2 lakhs as prototype grant to three innovative startups, the President said it was a "praiseworthy and admirable step for nurturing, identifying and promoting talent."

President Murmu also referred to her predecessor late President APJ Kalam's 2003 speech in which he called for self-reliance in aerospace systems "to enable us to stand steadfast during critical times with the flexibility to make configuration changes."

She said that the impetus towards self-reliance happened in a big way. "In the last decade, several policies and other initiatives have been taken that cover wide ranging issues like: the implementation of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN), enhancement of public-private partnerships, encouragement of MSMEs, increasing FDI via direct route, preference for Indigenously

Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) products, establishing defence corridors, and commissioning of the indigenously designed hypersonic wind tunnel," she said.
President Murmu said that decarbonization of aero-propulsion is an important task that will have to be undertaken because climate change and global warming.

She emphasised on the need to reduce carbon footprint and for that to rapidly adopt new propulsion technologies at a large scale, such as electric, hydrogen and hybrid.