The Lok Sabha will on Monday hold a special discussion to honour Indian astronaut Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from a successful mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju hailed the event as a “historic milestone”, highlighting its significance in India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047.
In a post on X, Rijiju wrote: “Our hero astronaut Capt. Subhanshu Shukla has returned home after a successful mission to the International Space Station. Parliament will honour him with a special discussion on his historic milestone and India’s growing space ambitions.”
According to the agenda released by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the discussion is titled: “India’s first astronaut aboard the International Space Station – the critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
Shukla, who became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space, returned to Earth on July 15 after participating in NASA’s Axiom-4 (AX-4) mission. He splashed down off the coast of California before returning to India, where he was welcomed at Delhi’s IGI Airport on Sunday by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and his family.
The AX-4 mission, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25, marked a new chapter in India’s space history.
Alongside the tribute to Shukla, the Lok Sabha will also take up two significant Bills on Monday:
- Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, to be introduced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
- Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, to be introduced by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, seeking further amendments to the IIM Act, 2017.
