Archives for August 2023

After Vikram lander soft landed on the south pole of the Moon, making Chandrayaan-3 a success, the crowd went up in a loud cheer. Scores of people, including students, senior citizens, and some former ISRO scientists along with their family members, who had gathered at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru, were seen cheering in celebration, congratulating each other. The atmosphere was nothing less than a festival.

A retired ISRO scientist, who was part of the audience at the planetarium on Wednesday, said emotionally, “Remarkable moment for ISRO.” N S Bose Raju, Science and Technology Minister, who was also at the planetarium, watched the soft landing telecasted on the big screen, along with other citizens.

“The entire nation was looking forward to this historical moment, we are proud of our scientists who made this possible. We are mulling to come up with an action plan to imbibe scientific temperament among students at a young age.”

Science enthusiasts who had also come in large numbers termed it as a proud and emotional moment. They also look at the achievement as a benchmark for more miles to be achieved. Shalini, a science enthusiast, said, “We cried over the failure of Chandrayaan 2. Now tears of joy flowed upon the success of Chandrayaan-3.” She added that they are filled with immense pride for the scientists and the Prime Minister for his unwavering support and dedication. The air across the city, where ISRO headquarters is located, reverberated with the voice of people chanting “East or West, India is the best!”

JOHANNESBURG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed upon his arrival in South Africa on Tuesday on a three-day official visit during which he will attend the 15th BRICS summit and hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

Modi was welcomed by South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile at Waterkloof Air Force Base where he received a ceremonial guard of honour.

“PM Narendra modi touches down at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, South Africa. Warmly received by Deputy President PM Ashatile of South Africa. Accorded a ceremonial welcome upon arrival,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Modi is visiting the African country from August 22 to 24 at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

South Africa is hosting the first in-person summit of BRICS comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, since 2019.

“PM @narendramodi touches down at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, South Africa.

Warmly received by Deputy President @PMashatile of South Africa.

Accorded a ceremonial welcome upon arrival,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to South Africa entails participation in the 15th BRICS Summit and engagements with leaders of BRICS and invited countries in plurilateral and bilateral settings, he added.

A large number of Indian community members, including activists of the Pretoria Hindu Seva Samaj and the local chapter of the BAPS Swaminarayan organisation, greeted the prime minister.

Modi then left for Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg, the venue of the BRICS Summit.

At the hotel, he met with local and expatriate Indian community members ahead of the BRICS Business Forum Leaders’ Dialogue.

The Indian community members carrying national flags and musical instruments welcomed Modi upon his arrival at the hotel with chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.

“Gratitude to South Africa’s Indian community for the special welcome in Johannesburg,” Modi posted on platform X along with some pictures of his interaction with the diaspora.

Two women diaspora members tied ‘rakhi’ around the wrist of Modi ahead of Raksha Bandhan, falling on August 30.

Earlier in his departure statement in New Delhi, Modi said BRICS has been pursuing a strong cooperation agenda across various sectors.

“We value that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the entire Global South, including development imperatives and reform of the multilateral system,” he said.

This summit will provide a useful opportunity for BRICS to identify future areas of cooperation and review institutional development, he said.

Modi posted on X that he will also take part in the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue events.

The Summit will give the platform to discuss issues of concern for the Global South and other areas of development.

The BRICS bloc – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.

Over 20 heads of state from Africa and the Middle East have also been invited to attend.

A number of them have applied to become members of BRICS, which is one of the matters on the agenda for the Summit.

Modi said in the statement that he looked forward to interacting with a number of guest countries that have been invited to participate in this event.

“I also look forward to holding bilateral meetings with some of the Leaders present in Johannesburg,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the BRICS summit virtually due to him facing possible arrest in terms of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant if he lands in South Africa.

From South Africa, the prime minister will travel to Greece on August 25 at the invitation of his Greece counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

It will be his first visit to this ancient land.

“I have the honour to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece after 40 years,” he said.

Contacts between our two civilizations stretch back over two millennia and, in modern times, our ties have been strengthened by shared values of democracy, rule of law and pluralism, he said.

Cooperation in diverse sectors such as trade and investment, defence, and cultural and people-to-people contacts have been bringing our two countries closer, he added.

He looked forward to visiting Greece and opening a new chapter in our multifaceted relationship, Modi said, adding that he will also be interacting with the Indian community there.

Nasheman.in

VISAKHAPATNAM: Renowned mathematician and statistician Dr. Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, better known as CR Rao breathed his last on Wednesday at the age of 102.

Born into a Telugu family at Hadagali in Karnataka’s Bellary on September 10, 1920, Dr Rao’s academic journey began at Gudur in Andhra Pradesh. He studied at Nuzvid, Nandigama, and earned a degree in mathematics from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.

Besides the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, the mathematician was also honoured with the International Prize in Statistics, often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize in Statistics’, in 2023. Dr Rao’s bond with Vizag and Andhra University remained strong.

Fondly recalling his association with the statistician, Andhra University, College of Science and Technology, (AUCST) principal Srinivas Rao said, “I first met Dr Rao in December 1981 when he graced the varsity’s Department of Statistics for unveiling the portrait of Professor Kandula Nagabhushanam—the founder of the department.”

“Back then, I was a second-year MSc student, designated to assist him during his stay in Visakhapatnam. This marked the genesis of our association. From 1981 to 1986, Dr. Rao frequented our department during his visits to India. His affection for his alma mater was abundantly evident,” he recounted. Describing Dr Rao as remarkably unassuming and humble, Srinivas noted that he exhibited a genuine passion for engaging with young minds whenever he found the opportunity.

Shedding light on the legacy that the mathematician has left behind, the principal said Dr Rao’s significant contributions include a Rs 1 lakh donation in 1982 to establish the CV Naidu Gold Medal, which is awarded to the top-ranking student in the M.Sc Statistics department every year. Between 2016 and 2018, Dr Rao donated Rs 12 lakh to establish two endowment lectures, including the Padma Vibushan Prof. CR Rao Endowment Lecture, at the University. As a testament to his deep-rooted ties, he contributed Rs 1 lakh to Mrs. AVN College, also his alma mater.

Notably, GVMC has named the road adjacent to the AU Statistics department as ‘CR Rao Marg’. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the passing away of Dr. CR Rao and condoled the bereaved family.

BENGALURU: India is at the cusp of scripting history, as ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) is all set to touch down on the lunar surface on Wednesday evening, making it only the fourth country to do so, and first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.

comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), is scheduled to make a touchdown near the south polar region of the Moon at 6:04 pm on Wednesday.

If the Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds in making a touchdown on the moon and in landing a robotic lunar rover in ISRO’s second attempt in four years, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander ‘Vikram’ crashed into the surface of the Moon minutes before the touchdown following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a landing on September 7, 2019.

Chandrayaan’s maiden mission was in 2008.

The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole. The soft-landing is being attempted days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.

After the second and final deboosting operation on August 20, the LM is now placed in a 25 km x 134 km orbit around the Moon. The module would undergo internal checks and await the sunrise at the designated landing site, ISRO has said, adding that the powered descent — to achieve soft-landing on the Moon’s surface — is expected to be initiated at around 5:45 pm on Wednesday.

ISRO’s Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh Desai had said, “If any health parameter (of the lander module) is found abnormal on August 23, then we will delay the landing by four days to August 27.”

The critical process of soft-landing has been dubbed by many including ISRO officials as with the entire process being autonomous when the lander has to fire its engines at the right times and altitudes, use the right amount of fuel, and scan of the lunar surface for any obstacles or hills or craters before finally touching down.

After checking all the parameters and deciding to land, ISRO will upload all the required commands from its Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) at Byalalu near here, to the LM, a couple of hours before the scheduled time touchdown.

According to ISRO officials, for landing, at around 30 km altitude, the lander enters the powered braking phase and begins to use its four thruster engines by “retro firing” them to reach the surface of the moon, by gradually reducing the speed.

This is to ensure the lander doesn’t crash, as the Moon’s gravity will also be in play.

Noting that on reaching an altitude of around 6.8 km, only two engines will be used, shutting down the other two, aimed at giving the reverse thrust to the lander as it descends further, they said, then, on reaching an altitude of about 150-100 metres, the lander, using its sensors and cameras, would scan the surface to check whether there are any obstacles and then start descending to make a soft-landing.

Instead of a success-based design in Chandrayaan-2, the space agency opted for a failure-based design in Chandrayaan-3, focused on what all can fail and how to protect it and ensure a successful landing, the ISRO chief said.

After the soft landing, the rover will descend from the lander’s belly, onto the Moon’s surface, using one of its side panels, which will act as a ramp. On landing the lander may have to face the challenge of lunar dust due to the firing of onboard engines close to the lunar surface.

The lander and rover will have a mission life of one lunar day (about 14 earth days) to study the surroundings there.

However, ISRO officials do not rule out the possibility of them coming to life for another lunar day.

The lander has the capability to soft-land at a specified lunar site and deploy the rover which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility.

Both have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.

Polar regions of the moon are very different terrain due to the environment and the difficulties they present and therefore have remained unexplored.

All the previous spacecraft to have reached the Moon landed in the equatorial region, a few degrees latitude north or south of the lunar equator.

The Moon’s south pole region is also being explored because there could be a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it.

The LM has payloads including RAMBHA-LP which is to measure the near-surface plasma ions and electrons density and its changes, ChaSTE Chandra’s Surface Thermo Physical Experiment — to carry out the measurements of thermal properties of lunar surface near polar region– and ILSA (Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity) to measure seismicity around the landing site and delineating the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.

The rover, after the soft-landing, would ramp down of the lander module and study the surface of the moon through its payloads APXS – Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer – to derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further enhance understanding of the lunar surface.

Ahead of its scheduled landing on the moon, Chandrayaan-3’s LM has established a two-way communication with Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter which continues to orbit around the Moon, giving the ground controllers more channels for communication with it.

The LM of Chandrayaan-3 had successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM) on August 17, which was 35 days after the satellite was launched on July 14.

Meanwhile, the PM, whose main function was to carry the LM from launch vehicle injection till lander separation orbit, will continue its journey in the current orbit for months/years, the space agency said.

Apart from this, the PM also has one scientific payload as a value addition.

The SHAPE (Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth) payload onboard it, whose future discoveries of smaller planets in reflected light would allow us to probe into a variety of Exo-planets which would qualify for habitability (or for the presence of life).

Post its launch on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 entered into the lunar orbit on August 5, following which orbit reduction manoeuvres were carried out on the satellite on August 6, 9, 14 and 16, ahead of separation of both its modules on August 17.

Earlier, over five moves in the three weeks since the July 14 launch, ISRO had lifted the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into orbits farther and farther away from the Earth.

Then, on August 1 in a key manoeuvre — a slingshot move — the spacecraft was sent successfully towards the Moon from Earth’s orbit.

Following this trans-lunar injection, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft escaped from orbiting the Earth and began following a path that would take it to the vicinity of the moon.

The chief minister has also sought a report from Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar by 5 pm, officials said.

The officer of the Delhi government’s women and child development department has been booked for allegedly raping his friend’s minor daughter several times and impregnating her, police had said on Sunday.

The girl was staying with the accused – a deputy director in the department – and his family at their house after her father passed away on October 1, 2020.

The accused had raped the girl several times between November 2020 and January 2021. His wife has also been charged with giving her medicine to terminate a pregnancy.

The girl returned home with her mother in January 2021 when she came to meet her.

She had an anxiety attack in August this year and her mother admitted her to St Stephen’s hospital, where the girl narrated the whole incident during counselling session, police said.

Police said the case was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 376(2)(f)(being a relative, guardian or teacher of, or a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman, commits rape on such woman), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 313 (causing miscarriage without women’s consent), 120B ( (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the POCSO Act.

MUMBAI: A day after putting out a public notice to auction a villa owned by actor and sitting BJP Member of Parliament Sunny Deol to recover Rs 56 crore dues, Bank of Baroda on Monday said the process is withdrawn due to technical reasons.

In a public notice on Sunday, the state-owned bank had said it would e-auction ‘Sunny Villa’ in the Juhu area of the city on September 25.

But in a similar notice on Monday, Bank of Baroda said the e-auction notice published on August 20 “stands withdrawn due to technical reason”.

When contacted, the bank did not offer any reason for the withdrawal of the notice.

The Gurdaspur MP, whose latest movie Gadar 2 is a box office success having already grossed over Rs 300 crore since the release last week, has been in default on a Rs 55.99 crore loan from the bank, interest and penalty, since December 2022.

As per Sunday’s notice, the bank, which has attached the property, had fixed the reserve price for the auction at Rs 51.43 crore and an earnest money deposit of Rs 5.14 crore.

Apart from Sunny Villa, the 599.44 square metre property also houses Sunny Sounds, which is owned by the Deols, and is the corporate guarantor to the loan, while Sunny’s actor-politician father Dharmendra is the personal guarantor of the debt, according to the auction notice.

The notice had further said the Deols had the option of clearing the dues of the bank to prevent the auction, under the provisions of the Sarfaesi Act 2002.

Sunny Deol has been representing BJP from the Gurdaspur seat of Punjab since 2019.

NEW DELHI: Soaring vegetable prices after a bad harvest have prompted Burger King’s Indian outlets to take tomatoes off their menu items, following in the footsteps of other fast food giants.

“Even tomatoes need a vacation!” read a notice at an outlet in the capital New Delhi on Thursday.

The burger franchise has operated across India since 2014, replacing its usual lineup of beef burgers with an assortment of chicken and vegetarian substitutes to accommodate Hindu objections to cattle slaughter.

It is the latest of several chains to stop serving the vegetable.

McDonald’s said in July it was taking tomatoes off its menus as a temporary measure due to “seasonal issues”, local media reported.

American sandwich chain Subway followed suit the same month, saying they were facing “quality issues”.

Last week, the Reserve Bank of India warned that higher food prices had impacted household budgets and were expected to get worse.

It added that tomato prices had soared after bad weather and pest attacks in major production belts.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government had removed import restrictions to source tomatoes from neighbouring Nepal to help ease pressure on food prices.