Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, in his second monthly broadcast over All India Radio, Mann Ki Baat, after assuming office for a second term, said the successful launch of Chandrayan-2 would promote science and technology among children and youths of the country.

Describing 2019 a ‘good year’ for India’s space science, the Prime Minister said the year saw Indian scientists successfully testing India’s space war capability – ASAT (Anti Satellite Missile)- by shooting down one of its own low orbit satellites besides the successful launch of Chandrayan- 2 recently, which he said had created overwhelming public enthusiasm about India’s space capabilities.

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Seeking to build on the people’s overwhelming response to India’s space science capabilities, especially among the school children and youths, Prime Minister proposed a ‘unique’ quiz contest on space and technology with a prized chance of visiting Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to witness the landing of India’s moon rover on the surface of moon.

“Let all the school children take part in the quiz. The details of the quiz contest will be unloaded on MyGov.in on 1 August. Students who score the maximum from their respective states will get an opportunity to witness the landing of Chandrayan-2 on moon’s surface,” the Prime Minister said.

Modi called upon teachers, parents to work hard for ensuring the victory of their respective schools in the quiz contest. “I call upon all school girls and boys to be part of the contest and make it interesting and memorable. I particularly would like to call upon schools, parents and teachers to strive hard for ensuring the success of their respective schools in the quiz,” he said.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the ‘fearless’ of Indian scientists and their ‘faith’ on themselves that saw them bounce back and successfully launch Chandrayan -2 in spite of some technical glitches that cropped up on the first day of the launch. He said the innovative zeal of Indian scientists in the wake of the success of the rocket launch had created an unprecedented buzz about their capabilities, globally.

The Prime Minister also suggested a ‘Permanent Book Corner’ in his ModiApp for the book lovers and writers alike. He said though he got little time to read these days the book corner would help him read various authors and share thoughts with the book enthusiasts. He said it would become an ‘active platform’ for book lovers. The move followed peoples’ suggestion to him to share thoughts on books on different subjects such as science, technology, business, etc.