Overview
- Speaking at the Future Makers Conclave, Shukla said his trip from Marathahalli to BIEC took three times longer than his presentation, drawing laughs from the packed audience.
- Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge echoed the joke in his closing remarks and pledged that the government would work to avoid such delays for attendees.
- The clip of Shukla’s remark spread widely online and prompted fresh political attacks on the Congress-led state government over Bengaluru’s chronic congestion.
- Shukla urged citizens, students and startups to help realize Viksit Bharat-2047 and said Indians would soon fly on a homegrown rocket and crew capsule, with Gaganyaan targeted for 2027 and him among four trained astronauts.
- Highlighting a growing ecosystem, he cited 300-plus Indian space startups and drew on his Ax-4 experience, which included 18 days on the ISS and seven microgravity experiments.