Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh addressed a press conference on Monday, June 15, 2026, outlining the milestones achieved across India's science and technology sectors over 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, citing sweeping growth in space, biotech, weather infrastructure, and nuclear policy.

Context

Speaking at the press conference, Dr. Singh framed the occasion around the hashtag #12YearsOfSeva, presenting a data-driven account of sectoral transformation since 2014. He described the period as one in which India's science and technology ecosystem had evolved into 'a global force.' The press conference comes as the ruling government marks over a decade in office, with ministries presenting sector-specific scorecards.

The minister's statement covered four major domains: space, biotechnology, meteorological infrastructure, and nuclear energy — each presented with comparative figures to illustrate scale of change.

Policy Backdrop

On the space front, Dr. Singh cited a rise from single-digit space startups to over 400, with the space economy projected to grow from $8 billion to $45 billion. This growth is anchored in the establishment of IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) in 2020, which opened the sector to private players, and in landmark missions such as Chandrayaan-3, which achieved a successful lunar south-pole landing in August 2023.

In biotechnology, he pointed to the bioeconomy expanding from $10 billion to $190 billion, with biotech startups scaling from around 500 to over 11,000. The National Biopharma Mission, announced in 2017, and the Startup India initiative launched in 2016 provided the policy scaffolding for this expansion. Covid vaccine development and the Purple Revolution — an aroma mission promoting lavender cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir — were cited as emblematic success stories.

On meteorological infrastructure, the minister noted that the number of weather radars had grown from 17 to 50, with another 50 planned, describing the expansion as having 'transformed forecasting.' For the nuclear sector, he announced that it had been opened to private participation, with rules under the SHANTI Act expected to be notified soon.

Stakeholders and Impact

The beneficiaries of these policy shifts span a wide range of actors: space startups, biotech entrepreneurs, private nuclear energy firms, and the agricultural communities served by agri-biotech programmes like the Purple Revolution. Improved weather radar coverage directly affects the India Meteorological Department's forecasting capacity, with downstream benefits for disaster preparedness, agriculture, and aviation.

The scaling of biotech startups from 500 to over 11,000 represents a structural shift in India's innovation economy, reflecting both regulatory easing and increased public and private investment in life sciences. The space economy projections, if realised, would position India among the top global players in commercial space.

What's Next

The immediate policy milestone to watch is the final notification of SHANTI Act rules governing private nuclear participation — a move that would mark a significant liberalisation of one of India's most tightly regulated strategic sectors. The phased rollout of the additional 50 weather radars is also expected to unfold over the coming years, further strengthening the country's early-warning and climate monitoring capabilities.

As India's science and technology policy enters its next phase, the government's stated ambition is to consolidate these gains into durable global competitiveness — in space commerce, biotech exports, and clean energy — building on the regulatory and institutional reforms of the past decade.