3 Top G20 Nations Keen to Tie Up with India in Space Sector, Piyush Goyal Tells News18; Here Are The Names

Trade ministers from three important G20 countries have mentioned that they would like to talk to India regarding possible collaboration for space technologies and space missions, union minister Piyush Goyal revealed to CNN-News18, a day after the historic touchdown by ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft near the moon’s south pole. “In fact one of the senior leaders coming in for the G20 Leaders’ Summit next month, his trade minister has already said that they would like to add that to the agenda of the leaders’ meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

Now, CNN-News18 has learnt from sources that the three nations referred to by the minister are Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Singapore.

A group of G20 delegates gathered for the Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting in Jaipur celebrated the historic success of Chandrayaan-3, ISRO’s third lunar expedition.

One of the cakes cut in the presence of Goyal was in the shape of Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram and rover Pragyan, while the other cake featured the moon with the Indian national flag on top.

“The enthusiasm for India’s space mission comes from the fact that we are self-reliant, from the fact that it’s very much a competitive business and we stand to gain from that competition, also that we are a trusted partner,” Goyal told CNN-News18.

People around the world feel very connected to India, said the minister. “They feel at home in India. They feel they can trust India to not only perform, but perform diligently, efficiently, and honestly. And that’s the paradigm shift in the India story that is holding us in very good stead,” he added.

India today stands tall and proud as a technologically enabled nation, Goyal said. “I am told there are more than 5,000 engineers of Indian origin working in NASA. Most of the Silicon Valley technologies have a large Indian element. Most of the semiconductor design across the world has a huge contribution by proud Indians,” he told CNN-News18. “So I think now India is not considered by anybody to be a nation which is anywhere less competent or less able to serve the most discerning customers in every walk of life.”