According to a media report, ISRO Chief S Somnath suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be a candidate for India’s first manned space mission, ‘Gaganyan’, scheduled for launch in 2025.In response, Jairam Ramesh took to ‘X’ and wrote, “Before he goes into space, the non-biological Pradhan Mantri should go to Manipur.”
S Somnath was quoted in the report as saying, “While he (PM Modi) certainly has many other, more critical responsibilities, developing a human spaceflight program is a capability we would like to cultivate and contribute to the Gaganyaan space program, particularly the astronaut training program for the International Space Station (ISS).” He added, “All of us will be very, very proud if we have the ability to confidently send the head of state to space.”
The Gaganyaan project is a significant Space mission of India that aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by sending a crew of three members into an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and safely returning them to Earth by landing in Indian waters.
Meanwhile, the central government is facing criticism from the opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc regarding the ethnic violence in Manipur, which began in May 2023. PM Modi addressed the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, stating that the government is working to stabilize the situation in Manipur. He mentioned that over 11,000 FIRs have been registered, more than 500 people have been arrested, and incidents of violence are decreasing.
The Prime Minister also said that the central and state governments are engaging with all stakeholders to restore peace in the state. Schools, colleges, offices, and other institutions are now open in Manipur. However, during his address in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the opposition continuously raised slogans regarding the Manipur issue.
The ethnic violence in Manipur started on May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.
