Budget 2023 | Department of Space gets ₹12,500 crore, 8% less than previous year
The Hindu
Expenditure for space science, which includes missions such as Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1, has received cut of 32%
The Department of Space expenditure has been slashed by 8% in the 2023-24 Union Budget, down to ₹12,543.91 crore, from ₹13,700 crore in the previous Budget estimate.
The biggest cut is for space technology, under ‘Central Sector Schemes’, of ₹1,093.84 crore. This header encompasses the expenditure of ISRO’s various centres, including the Human Spaceflight Centre, as well as “developmental and operation projects” involving satellites and launch vehicles.
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The allocation for the Semi-Conductor Laboratory, an autonomous body, has gone from ₹400 crore to zero, since the facility has been moved out from under the Department of Space as part of the India Semiconductor Mission.
Notably, the expenditure for space science, which includes the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) science missions such as Chandrayaan 3, Aditya L1, and its Climate and Atmospheric Programme, has received a cut of 32% from the previous budget estimate.
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Many science missions are already delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the non-availability of launch vehicles thanks to low manufacturing output and commercial launch commitments. Late January, ISRO chairman S. Somanath said Aditya L1 is expected to launch around July 2023.