Bengaluru: Dy director of Mines & Geology Department suspended over graft charge
Bengaluru, Mar 5: B M Lingaraju, Deputy Director of the Mines and Geology Department in Karnataka, was suspended on Friday for allegedly indulging in corruption and harassing people.
He was suspended following a departmental inquiry, a release from the office of Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh R Nirani said
It said Lingaraju was accused of indulging in corruption and harassing owners of stone quarrying companies when he was functioning as acting (in-charge) Deputy Director of Mines and Geology department in Bagalkot district.
Fayaz Ahmed Sheikh, Geologist, Deputy Directors Office, Mines and Geology Department, Bagalkot was earlier suspended over the same charges.
Noting that Nirani took the action after receiving written complaints and proof from mining companies against the two officials during his recent visit to Bagalkot, the release said the officials were accused of indulging in massive corruption and encouraging illegal activities in Bagalkot district.
Taking serious note of the issue, the minister ordered a departmental inquiry against the officials, it said, adding that the probe revealed that Lingaraju received additional royalty from stone crusher industries association in Kalaburagi district.
The official has been accused of rejecting the renewal application of KS Kankale, citing lack of sufficient space in the safety buffer zone and demanded a bribe of Rs 10 lakh.
The probe also revealed that the officer harassed the owner of Jayadeva stone crusher to renew the units licence by citing safety issues and demanded a huge amount as bribe.
The contractor obtained a loan, sold his assets and attempted suicide due to huge bribe amount demanded by Lingaraju, the release added.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
