Nearly Rs 2,000 Crore Hike In Space Department Budget, Dip In Allocation For Atomic Energy

Tasked with setting up India's space station, the Department of Space has received a hike of nearly Rs 2,000 crore in the interim Budget 2024-25 as against 2023-24.

The Department of Space has been allocated Rs 13,042.75 crore in the interim Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday. According to the revised estimates for 2023-24, the allocation for the department was Rs 11,070.07 crore.

There has been a significant increase in allocation for space technology from Rs 8,180 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 10,087 crore in 2024-25.

On the other hand, the Budget estimates for the Department of Atomic Energy for 2024-25 stand at Rs 24,968.98 crore – net of recoveries - down from Rs 25,078.49 crore in 2023-24.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target for the Department of Space to build a 'Bharat Antariksh Station' by 2035 and land an Indian astronaut on the moon by 2040.

The Department of Atomic Energy has been allocated Rs 36,159.93 crore in the interim Budget, a slight decrease from Rs 36,905.45 crore in 2023-24.

Of the total allotment of Rs 36,159.93 crore, the Department of Atomic Energy has been allocated Rs 15,908.79 crore for capital expenditure which will be spent on power projects, atomic energy agencies and research. A sizeable portion of the allocation for capital expenditure will be spent on repaying loans for power projects.

The government has approved building 10 indigenously developed nuclear power plants of 700 MW each in fleet mode across the country.