With limited resources at their disposal, countries of the Asia-Pacific region should work for an equitable access to space technology development and applications for sustainable development, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Murasoli Maran told a preparatory senior officials meeting of the second ESCAP ministerial-level conference on Space Application for Sustainable Development in the AsiaPacific.

``India is ready to share her experiences with the countries in the region for effectively integrating the high technology inputs into the developmental processes,'' Maran promised.

While the rewards from space technology applications are unquestioned, for many of India's neighbours, the kind of investments for developing a full-fledged space programme are prohibitive. And this is where they are hoping India will help out.

``India is a giant in space technology applications. We would benefit enormously from cooperating with Indian scientists,'' said A.M. Choudhury, chairman, Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO).

This view was echoed by the Sri Lankan delegates as well. ``India's expertise in space technology applications is well established,'' said Padmasri de Alwis, Deputy Director of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies in Colombo.

The Sri Lankan Minister for Science and Technology, Batty Weerakoon, who will be attending the Ministerialconference, is expected to press for greater training opportunities for scientists in Indian research institutions and Indian help in upgrading Sri Lanka's space research programme when he meets his Indian counterpart, Murli Manohar Joshi.

India's willingness to share its expertise with its regional neighbours was reiterated by K. Kasturirangan, chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ``Optimal utilisation of advanced space technology applications is the need of the hour,'' said Kasturirangan, while emphasising the role of satellite remote sensing, satellite communications, satellite meteorology in sustainable development.

But the inevitable question of ``who pays'' was raised by Union Science and Technology Minister Murli Manohar Joshi. ``A suitable mechanism should be evolved to recover the costs of satellite-based services from users as many such services, currently available free from developed nations, would have to be paid for in the future,'' Joshi said. This was needed as it was notalways possible to maintain satellite-based systems with tax-payer's money, Joshi added.

The conference, organised by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), will help policy planners and decision makers to develop space development programmes at regional levels and review progress made on decisions taken at the first such ministerial meeting in Beijing in 1994.