Urdu most beautiful language; Hindu-Muslim harmony vital for progress: Kiren Rijiju
New Delhi (PTI): Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday described Urdu as "the most beautiful language in the world" and said harmony between Hindus and Muslims is essential for the country's progress and unity.
Speaking at the 105th Foundation Day celebrations of Jamia Millia Islamia, he praised the university for reflecting India's composite culture and democratic spirit.
"The university's motto song beautifully reflects the values of our nation. I would like to remind you that Mahatma Gandhi and great luminaries such as Sarojini Naidu supported this university when it was being established," the minister said.
Lauding the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in the university, Rijiju said he was "highly impressed" with its academic record and national ranking.
Emphasising the importance of open debate in a democracy, he said, "In our democracy, people express their views aggressively, which sometimes creates polarisation. But that is not necessarily bad so long as it does not harm the country."
Rijiju noted that while Parliament often witnesses noisy debates, it remains the best platform for diverse opinions to be expressed.
"As Parliamentary Affairs Minister, it is sometimes tough to run the House; but chaos in Parliament is a sign of a vibrant democracy," he said, adding that despite disruptions, crucial legislation is eventually passed "in the interest of the nation".
The minister also underlined India's constitutional strength and diversity. "Because of the Constitution, we will be safe, as it covers every aspect of a problem and provides a solution for it," he said.
Rijiju added that maintaining social harmony is a collective responsibility.
"Of the six recognised minorities, Muslims form about 80 per cent. It is the responsibility of the larger communities -- Hindus and Muslims -- to ensure harmony. If they live in peace, then all other smaller communities will also continue to contribute to the growth of the country. Jamia Millia Islamia is the best symbol from where such a message can go out," he said.
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Bengaluru: ISRO receives 1.5 lakh satellite collision alerts from US
Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) received over 1.5 lakh space debris and collision alerts for its Earth-orbiting satellites from the United States-led Combined Space Operations Centre, according to the Indian Space Situational Awareness Report for 2025 (ISSAR-2025), as reported by The New Indian Express.
The report was released by ISRO on Thursday for the public to assess. It was announced on April 8 during the international conference on spacecraft mission operations-2026, in Bengaluru.
According to ISRO, a total of four collision avoidance manoeuvres (CAM) were carried out for Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, while 14 CAMs, including one for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), were performed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
ISRO said that, wherever possible, collision avoidance requirements were being met by adjusting orbit maintenance manoeuvres to avoid exclusive CAMs. All manoeuvre plans were subjected to close approach risk analysis to prevent potential collisions with nearby space objects.
They accounted revising 82 manoeuvre plans to avoid post-manoeuvre close approaches with other space objects for LEO satellites, while two manoeuvre plans were modified for GEO satellites for the same reason.
Conjunction assessment and collision risk mitigation were also being followed for deep-space missions. Citing the case of Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, ISRO scientists said 16 orbital manoeuvres were carried out in the lunar orbit and on two occasions (January 1 and July 24, 2025), the orbits were readjusted to avoid collisions with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
ISRO said the first such coordinated collision avoidance effort with NASA dates back to October 18, 2021. Since then, technological interventions have been strengthened for early detection of objects in orbit. ISRO scientists added that for spaceflight security, they have also been coordinating with many agencies, particularly for Chandrayaan-2 with Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines and iSpace.
The ISSAR-2025 report also detailed how the IRNSS-1D, the fourth of the seven Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System satellites, was raised to a graveyard orbit nearly 600 km above the geostationary belt and made inactive. ISRO said this was the first-ever disposal of an Indian satellite operating in an inclined geosynchronous orbit.
Similarly, the Cartosat-2A satellite, launched in 2008, was moved to a graveyard orbit after becoming non-operational in 2025.
Following the objective for a debris-free space environment, the Technology Experiment Satellite and POEM-4 re-entered Earth’s atmosphere through natural decay. Additionally, two upper stages of the SSLV-D3 mission, the Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) and the solid stage (SS3), also re-entered the atmosphere.
ISRO reported that eight debris objects from the PSLV-C3 mission re-entered the atmosphere in 2025, while 33 remained in orbit as of 31 December 2025. The total number of Indian objects re-entering the atmosphere in 2025 was 12.
