Dr V Narayanan appointed as ISRO chief, succeeding S Somanath
New Delhi (PTI): Rocket scientist V Narayanan was on Tuesday appointed Secretary, Department of Space, succeeding S Somanath, who will complete his tenure next week.
"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala as Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission for a period of two years with effect from 14.01.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier," an official order said.
Secretary, Department of Space, also holds the charge of chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Somanath had assumed charge as the Secretary, Department of Space, on January 14, 2022 for a three-year term.
Narayanan, a distinguished Scientist at the ISRO, has nearly four decades of experience and has held various key positions within the Indian space organisation.
Narayanan's expertise lies in rocket and spacecraft propulsion. He was the Project Director for the C25 Cryogenic Project of the GSLV Mk Ill vehicle.
Under his leadership, the team successfully developed the C25 Stage, a vital component of GSLV Mk III.
Narayanan, who is a Rocket & Space Craft Propulsion Expert, joined the ISRO in 1984 and functioned in various capacities before becoming Director of the Centre.
During the initial phase, for four and a half years, he worked in the Solid Propulsion area of Sounding Rockets and Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
In 1989, he completed M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering with First Rank at IIT-Kharagpur and joined the Cryogenic Propulsion area in Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
