Which one of the following statements about Antrix Corporation Limited is correct regarding its role and administrative control within the Government of India?

Introduction / Context:
Antrix Corporation Limited plays a specialised role in India's space sector and commercial activities linked to space technology. This business awareness question checks whether you know which ministry or department in the Government of India exercises administrative control over Antrix. Many competitive exams test such institutional relationships, because understanding who controls which public sector enterprise helps you follow policy decisions, contracts and strategic priorities in sectors like defence, space and technology.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The organisation in focus is Antrix Corporation Limited.
- It is known to be linked to India's space activities and satellite services.
- Four alternative statements describe its possible administrative control or commercial role.
- We assume Antrix acts as a commercial arm of India's space programme and is not linked to unrelated ministries like health or industrial policy in its core mandate.

Concept / Approach:
Antrix Corporation Limited was set up as the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation, which itself works under the Department of Space. Therefore, Antrix is under the administrative control of the Department of Space, not under departments dealing with health, industrial policy or general science and technology. The key idea is to distinguish between the technical space department and other economic or social ministries. Any statement that connects Antrix directly to the Department of Space and its commercial work with satellites, launch services and related technology is more likely to be correct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that ISRO functions under the Department of Space in the Government of India. Step 2: Remember that Antrix Corporation Limited is frequently described as the commercial arm of ISRO for marketing satellite services, launch services and related products. Step 3: Since ISRO is under the Department of Space, the commercial arm that serves it must logically also fall under the administrative control of the same department. Step 4: Evaluate the options and select the statement that explicitly mentions that Antrix is under the administrative control of the Department of Space.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this reasoning by thinking about how specialised Antrix's activities are. Its core work involves satellite launches, transponder leasing, remote sensing data and similar services. These activities align directly with ISRO and the Department of Space, not with departments like Health and Family Welfare or Industrial Policy and Promotion. Those other departments focus on hospitals, pharmaceuticals, industry and trade policy rather than space commerce. This alignment of functions confirms that administrative control is correctly placed with the Department of Space.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A links Antrix to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, which deals mainly with industrial rules and foreign direct investment, not with satellite launches, so this is incorrect.
Option C places Antrix under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which has no direct connection with space or commercial satellite services.
Option D calls Antrix a commercial arm of the Department of Science and Technology, but space activities in India are handled separately by the Department of Space, making this statement misleading.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to confuse the Department of Space with the broader Department of Science and Technology, assuming all scientific activities fall under a single umbrella. Another pitfall is to guess based on general impressions of which departments sound important, instead of remembering the specific administrative structure around ISRO and Antrix. To avoid such errors, it helps to create quick notes mapping important public sector enterprises to their controlling ministries or departments.

Final Answer:
The correct statement is that Antrix Corporation Limited is under the administrative control of the Department of Space.