[Marxistindia] Immediately Halt Privatisation of ISRO

[news from the cpi(m)]

September 7, 2026

 

Press Statement

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement:

 

Immediately Halt Privatisation of ISRO

 

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) denounces the privatisation of ISRO
and demands its immediate halt.

 

ISRO's contributions to defence, agriculture, disaster management, weather
forecasting, and remote sensing are strategically important for India's
economy and security. Privatising such a critical, self-reliant institution
would create unwanted dependence on the private sector in matters of vital
national importance.

 

IN-SPACe chairperson Pawan Goenka's comments that ISRO will no longer
manufacture launch vehicles reveals a sinister design of handing over space
research infrastructure built over seven decades by dedicated Indian
scientists to private players. This shift is part of the Indian Space Policy
2023, which opened the entire space sector to private enterprise and offered
liberal concessions to foreign investment, all in the deceptive name of
cost-effectiveness in launch operations.

 

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment,
in its report presented in March 2026, also expressed serious concern over
the transfer of public assets to private entities without transparency or
accountability. 

 

ISRO's clarification issued in response to concerns raised by the Joint
Action Committee of ISRO Staff Associations through their joint letter to
the ISRO Chief, attempts to defend the policy. However, it fails to address
the core anxiety that national security may be compromised.

 

The CPI(M) stands for the protection of the country's strategic interests
and with the scientists, technologists and staff who are demanding the
strengthening of ISRO. It opposes all the attempts to privatise such a
crucial institution. 

 

 

(Muralidharan)

For CPI(M) Central Committee Office

 

 

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