India's space and technology sectors witnessed significant developments in the last 24 hours. Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to travel to space as part of the Axiom-4 mission, returned to India early on Sunday morning. Upon his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Shukla was received by Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman V. Narayanan. Union MoS Jitendra Singh lauded Shukla's achievement, calling it a "moment of pride for India" and "glory for ISRO". Shukla is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had earlier mentioned the astronaut's return during his Independence Day speech, highlighting India's progress in developing its own space station.
In a major push for domestic technology manufacturing, India is increasingly focusing on mature-node chip production, targeting the 28nm to 65nm range crucial for sectors like automotive and telecommunications. The government recently approved four new semiconductor projects worth ā¹4,600 crore across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab, bringing the total under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) to 10 projects with a combined investment of ā¹1.6 lakh crore across six states. Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed the government's commitment, announcing that "Made-in-India" semiconductor chips would be available in the market by the end of this year. This strategic move aims to fill a critical gap in the global chip supply chain and reduce import dependence.
Further underscoring India's growing manufacturing capabilities, Foxconn's long-awaited plant near Devanahalli in Bengaluru has commenced small-scale production of the iPhone 17. This marks a significant step in Apple's expanding production footprint in India, positioning the Bengaluru factory as Foxconn's second-largest global unit after China. The $2.8 billion investment is expected to create thousands of local jobs and transform the Devanahalli region into a high-tech manufacturing hub. These developments align with India's broader vision of "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) and its objective of becoming a developed nation by 2047 through advancements in critical technologies.