Bhopal: There has been more than 120 space technology start-ups in the past three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended the secrecy of India’s space ecosystem, science and technology minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a sense of esteem to science and scientists after six decades. Now, we can see a positive environment like a festival because he has not only given importance to science and scientific events, but also promoted new innovation by taking revolutionary steps and simplifying rules,” Singh said at the inauguration of the India International Science Festival in Bhopal.

Talent and capacity were always there but compatibility was missing, he said. Science was not a serious career and people used to do BSc, MSc and PhD in descending order of priority, the minister said. Now, things have changed due to Modi, he added.

Citing an example, Singh said, “The space department used to work secretively. An international scientist took me to a space centre and took me to an area where even scientists were not allowed to roam. I got the point and shared this problem with PM Modi. By ending the secret work in the space department, the Prime Minister gave a boost to space technology through public-private participation. As many as 120 start-ups come up in space technology.”

Singh also praised Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for organising the science festival.

“I can say with responsibility that religion and science do not cross each other, but support each other,” Chouhan said at the inauguration. “Religion and science always support each other. We understood the interconnection of science and spirituality. Glorious, powerful, prosperous and strong India is being built under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His thinking is also scientific.”

“We tried to find the truth of the universe through yoga, meditation, pranayama and samadhi,” Chouhan said. “The concept of aircraft was already in India thousands of years ago. India’s astronomer Bhaskaracharya proved centuries before Newton that the earth attracts celestial objects with a special force.”

India has become the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, he said. “We have made a new startup policy. If you have innovative ideas, I will not let you down. In one year, 2,600 startups have been formed in Madhya Pradesh. Talented children are emerging even from small towns,” Chouhan said.

As many as 300 scientific organisations are participating in the festival.