The Lok Sabha will hold a special discussion to honour Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from a successful mission to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s Axiom-4 (AX-4) mission. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju described the event as a “historic milestone” and emphasized that the discussion would focus on India’s expanding space ambitions in the context of its goal of becoming a developed nation—Viksit Bharat—by 2047. Our hero astronaut capt Subhanshu Shukla has returned home after a successful mission to International Space Station. Parliament will honour him with a special discussion on his historic milestone and India’s growing space ambitions in our journey towards #ViksitBharat pic.twitter.com/jbLl9Xa3e1 — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 18, 2025 Taking to X on Monday, Rijiju wrote, “Our hero astronaut capt Subhanshu Shukla has returned home after a successful mission to International Space Station. Parliament will honour him with a special discussion on his historic milestone and India’s growing space ambitions in our journey towards Viksit Bharat.” The agenda released by the Lok Sabha Secretariat titled the discussion as: India’s first astronaut aboard the International Space Station – the critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047 Group Captain Shukla, who was part of the NASA-Axiom mission that launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25, returned to Earth on July 15, landing off the coast of California. He arrived in the national capital in the early hours of Sunday. He was welcomed at the Delhi airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and his family. Shukla’s journey marks a significant moment for India, as he is the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space. In addition to the special discussion, the Lok Sabha is set to witness the introduction of two key bills. Union Minister Piyush Goyal will move for leave to introduce the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025. Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will introduce the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes further changes to the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017.