Chandrayaan-3: There are no millionaires among ISRO scientists, says Madhavan Nair
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by India's successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said the scientists at space agency have achieved this historic success by getting a salary one-fifth of the scientists in the developed world.
According to him, the low wages for the scientists at ISRO are one of the reasons why they could find low-cost solutions for space exploration.
"The wages paid to the scientists, technicians, and other staff at ISRO are hardly one-fifth of what is given globally. So that gives an advantage," Nair told PTI while talking about the Indian space agency's history of exploring space at very low expenses.
He said there are no millionaires among ISRO scientists, and they always live a very normal and subdued life.
"They are not really bothered about the money but are passionate and dedicated to their mission. That is how we achieved greater heights," Nair said here.
He said the scientists at ISRO could achieve this through careful planning and long-term vision.
"We tried to build one upon the other. What we learnt in the past, we used for the subsequent mission. In fact, what we developed nearly 30 years ago for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is the same engine that is being used for the GSLV as well," Nair said.
He said India uses home-grown technology for its space missions, and that helped them reduce the cost considerably. He said the space mission costs of India are 50 to 60 percent lower compared to the space missions of other countries.
Nair said the success of Chandrayaan-3 is the first stepping stone to begin India's planetary explorations.
"We have really broken the ice and made a good beginning," he said.
The former ISRO chief said the country already has several commercial contracts with Europe and America, and this will grow now with the success of Chandrayaan-3.
"Certainly the global people will accept our technical competence and quality of our launch system and spacecraft, etc. International cooperation has been on the agenda of the Indian space programme, and it will be strengthened in the days to come," he added.
The total cost of Chandrayaan-3, according to ISRO, is only Rs 615 crore, which is almost equivalent to a Bollywood movie's production budget in the country.
In a giant leap for its space programme, India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm on Wednesday, propelling the country into an exclusive club of four and making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface.
With this touchdown on the Moon to script history after a flawless 41-day voyage and less than a week after a Russian lander headed to the lunar south pole crashed, India has become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the Moon after the US, China, and the erstwhile Soviet Union.
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Several Gurugram schools receive hoax bomb threats
Gurugram (PTI): Several Gurugram schools received another hoax bomb threat emails on Wednesday morning, prompting police to launch searches on the premises.
Police said the email was sent by the 'Khalistan National Army', with threats issued to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to declare April 29 as the "40th Khalistan Declaration Day". It also threatened to bomb the Red Fort in Delhi.
Police said it was a hoax as no suspicious items were found after an intensive search.
Several schools, including Shri Ram, Amity, and the HDFC school, received threatening emails at 8.33 am, when classes had already begun, police said.
The school administrations became aware of the threats around 9 am and immediately informed the police, a senior police officer said.
The schools immediately implemented emergency protocols, with many declaring a holiday and asking parents to take their children home safely, the officer said.
A large number of anxious parents gathered outside the schools, as police and bomb squad teams reached the spots and started checks.
"Around 10 schools have approached the police from morning until now over bomb threats. Police teams are alert, and searches are underway on all the premises", the officer said.
As soon as the information about this email was received, police in Gurugram and Delhi swung into action and started investigation.
Schools immediately implemented emergency protocols upon receiving the mail. Many schools declared a holiday and sent messages to parents, asking them to take their children home. Large crowds of parents gathered outside the schools.
The schools were sanitised by sending a bomb disposal squad as well as a dog squad.
A senior police officer said that police teams thoroughly searched the school premises, classrooms, buildings, and surrounding areas. No suspicious objects or explosive materials were found during the investigation.
"Police teams are seriously investigating the entire matter. Cyber experts are being consulted to determine the authenticity of the email, its source, and the identity of the sender", added the officer.
This is the third time since January that schools have received fake bomb threats.
In March, at least a dozen schools in the city received bomb threat emails, which later turned out to be hoaxes.
Similarly, on January 28, as many as 13 schools received hoax bomb threats via email, forcing authorities to evacuate campuses and suspend classes.
Last month, police arrested a Bangladeshi national whose email ID was allegedly used to make a bomb threat for some payment.
