Bihar cabinet gives its nod to free COVID-19 vaccination
Patna, Dec 16: Inoculation of the entire population of Bihar for COVID-19 will be done free of cost upon the availability of the vaccine, the state cabinet resolved on Tuesday.
The decision was taken at the first meeting of the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar since the allocation of portfolios last month.
The cabinet gave its go ahead for implementation of "Saat Nishchay Part-2", the second part of seven resolves of the chief minister, elucidating his blueprint for governance taking off from the work completed in the previous tenure.
Free corona vaccine is one of the many components of the seventh resolve "sabke liye atirikt swasthy suvidha" (better health amenities for all).
Notably, free corona vaccine in the state was also promised by the BJP in its manifesto for the recent assembly elections which was released here by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The BJP is a partner in the ruling NDA in the state.
Other points covered under the seven resolves 2 include upgradation of educational institutions and economic empowerment of the youth through a slew of measures including establishment of a separate department for skill development and setting up of "mega skill centres" and "tool rooms" across all 38 districts.
According to a statement issued by the government after the cabinet meeting, these measures are expected to create "20 lakh new jobs in government and private sectors".
Social and economic empowerment of women, rural development with focus on better waste management, increased use of solar energy and upgraded fisheries and animal husbandry besides urban rejuvenation are also covered under the seven resolves.
Urban rejuvenation has also been given due importance with establishment of "storm water drainage" proposed in all cities in towns so as to prevent massive water logging crises like the one experienced by the state capital a year ago.
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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.
