India has launched the development of the Electric Hansa (E-HANSA), a two-seater indigenous electric trainer aircraft, as part of its push towards green aviation and affordable pilot training. This initiative was announced by Dr. Jitendra Singh during a high-level science department review meeting in Bengaluru.

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• E-HANSA is developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, under the HANSA-3 Next Generation program, with a projected cost of Rs 2 crore, nearly half that of imported trainers.
• The aircraft supports India’s green aviation goals by promoting clean energy use and reducing carbon emissions in aviation.
• E-HANSA aims to provide cost-effective and sustainable pilot training, revolutionizing India’s aviation training infrastructure.
• Dr. Jitendra Singh stressed the need for robust public-private partnerships (PPP) to commercialize indigenous tech, directing NRDC to replicate models like DBT-BIRAC and IN-SPACe.
• Emphasis was laid on standardizing technology transfer, ease of doing innovation business, and strengthening international science cooperation under the “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” philosophy.
• ISRO’s achievements were praised, including the SPADEX docking mission and Operation Sindoor, highlighting its collaboration with 40 Union Ministries and 28 State Governments.
• Group Captain Subhash Shukla will represent India in the Axiom Space Mission, conducting seven microgravity experiments aboard the ISS, boosting India’s space science presence.
• Regional Chintan Shivirs are planned nationwide for integrated science governance, involving key departments like DST, DBT, CSIR, ISRO, Earth Sciences, and Atomic Energy.
• A “Global Science Talent Bridge” was proposed to attract top international scientists and innovators to enhance India’s biomanufacturing and R&D capabilities.
• India’s expanding science diplomacy includes new bilateral science center interests from Switzerland and Italy, complementing existing Indo-French and Indo-German collaborations.