Adityanath hails Lucknow-born astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Ashoka Chakra honour
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday congratulated Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a native of Lucknow, on being conferred the Ashoka Chakra, saying his courage and composure has given a new thrust to India's human spaceflight programme.
President Droupadi Murmu honoured Shukla with the country's highest peacetime gallantry award on the 77th Republic Day at Kartavya Path in New Delhi for his "indomitable courage and outstanding valour" in successfully carrying the Axiom Mission-4 to the International Space Station (ISS).
"Your fearlessness, commitment and restraint have given a new flight to India's human space programme," the chief minister said in a Hindi post on X.
Shukla's achievement would continue to inspire future generations to move ahead in the fields of science and research, he added.
In June last year, Shukla created history by becoming the first Indian to set foot on the ISS and the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after the legendary Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission.
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government also honoured Shukla on various occasions for his accomplishments last year. Most recently, on January 24, he was among five luminaries of the state conferred with the UP "Gaurav Samman" on the occasion of the statehood day.
Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 mission, executed by US-based private firm Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA, the European Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). During his 18-day stay aboard the ISS, he conducted a series of advanced scientific experiments that drew praise from global space experts.
An accomplished fighter pilot with over 2,000 hours of flying experience on aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar and Hawk, Shukla was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in June 2006.
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Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University, Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ passes away at 63
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Mangaluru: Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ, Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University Rector of St Aloysius Institutions, and Vice President of Mangalore Jesuit Educational Society (MJES), breathed his last on Friday, April 10. He was 63.
Born in 1963, Fr Melwin Pinto completed his schooling and college education at St Aloysius before joining the Jesuit order on June 20, 1981. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest on April 14, 1997.
Over the years, he held several academic qualifications, including an MA in English, a Master’s degree in Education, and diplomas in psychology and counselling as well as school administration.
He began his career in education as headmaster of St Joseph’s Primary School and High School in Hassan, serving between 1996 and 1999.
He later founded St Joseph’s Indian PU College and served as its principal until 2007. He subsequently served as headmaster of St Aloysius High School, Mangaluru, from 2007 to 2011, and later as principal of St Joseph’s PU College, Hassan, until 2012.
Fr Melwin Pinto also worked with Vatican Communications and Radio in Rome, contributing to its English desk for Asia and Indian languages.
He later served as superior and director of Fatima Retreat House in Valencia for two years from May 2017, before being appointed as superior of the Jesuit study home ‘Vidyaniketan’ in Dharwad.
He was also closely associated with the development of St Aloysius Institutions and played a key role in securing the status of a Deemed-to-be University. His contribution to the education sector and efforts towards innovation were widely acknowledged. He was known for maintaining close relations with people from all sections of society.
Legislative Council MLA Ivan D’Souza, in a statement, said the demise of Fr Melwin J Pinto was a huge loss to the educational and religious fields and had created a significant void in society.
Dakshina Kannada District in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also expressed grief, stating that his service and contributions to education would always be remembered.
Details regarding the funeral are yet to be announced.
