Former Meghalaya CM quits Congress
Shillong, Sep 13 : Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Donwa Dethwelson Lapang on Thursday resigned from the Congress, with which he was associated for four decades.
Lapang's resignation is a major blow to the opposition Congress in the northeasten region as it has come ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and the upcoming Mizoram assembly elections.
In his resignation letter to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Lapang, 84, noted that he is quitting the party as it has embarked upon a policy of phasing out senior and elderly people.
"In my opinion, it means that services and contributions of senior and elderly people are not useful to the party. Since the spirit and enthusiasm to work for the people is still burning inside me, this restriction made me frustrated and compelled me to be no longer comfortable in the party," Lapang said.
"With my present age and health condition, I have decided to serve the country, my state and its people in the same manner wherever I am," he noted.
The veteran political leader stated that he worked devotedly, leaving no stone un-turned while performing his service for the party, as a "true and disciplined Congress man and always cooperated with the AICC (All India Congress Committee) even to the extent of accepting sacrifices for the sake of unity and strength of the party. ..."
The five-time Chief Minister of Meghalaya did not contest the February 2018 assembly elections but campaigned for the Congress.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
