Dr Jitendra Singh says opening the space sector to private players has helped reduce brain drain
8 October 2026
Dr Jitendra Singh spoke at the NaMo Book Fest in Varanasi on 8 October 2026; the fest ran on 7 and 8 October.
He said opening the space sector to private players has helped reduce brain drain and created opportunities for young talent, citing Skyroot.
The space economy is around USD 9 billion and could reach USD 45-46 billion over the next 8-10 years.
Gross expenditure on R&D rose from around ₹46,000-47,000 crore in 2013-14 to around ₹2-2.5 lakh crore.
He spoke of a target of 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047.
In plain words
GERD Gross Expenditure on Research and Development — The total national spending on research and development in a year.
Brain drain Brain drain — The departure of skilled people to work abroad.