Chandrayaan success result of collective efforts of successive govts: Tharoor
New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said the watershed moment of India landing a spacecraft on the Moon was the culmination of the efforts put in by all governments over the past six decades, starting from the days of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Twenty per cent of the key personnel in ISRO are women and they did not need reservation to be in the field of science and technology, he said, referring to the women's reservation bill passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
His comments in the Lok Sabha evoked a sharp reaction from Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel who said that even the Congress supported the women's reservation bill.
Tharoor sought to calm the minister, saying that he did not mean any disrespect to any woman. "I just said that in science and technology, we already have 20 per cent women and the number is going up," he said.
Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said, "I trust my friend Shashi ji, we have never been anti-women."
Participating in a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, Tharoor said that today some in the government seek to make this rare moment to bask in glory and "polarise" the country by speaking as if all space endeavours only began in 2014.
"The truth is, our space success are consequence of continuity in national governance and what has been achieved today stands on the shoulders of many past achievements... This is the achievement of successive years of making the right governance choices," the Congress MP said.
He said that grooming brilliant scientists, developing infrastructure, research and development, and global synergies and technologies cannot be achieved unilaterally by any one government.
The Chandrayaan-3 triumph is that of across the political divide and it does not belong to any one person or one party, he said, adding, "Who can deny India owes its remarkable progress in space exploration in large part to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's dedication to developing a scientific temper among Indian people."
The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram further said Nehru had an understanding of the role of technology in national development and had faith in Indian scientists.
"When India was indeed besieged by poverty, illiteracy, food insecurity and disease, Nehru knew that he must and could aim for the stars. We did not have much money and we relied on ourselves," Tharoor added.
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Nursing college student from Kerala dies by suicide at hostel, parents allege foul play
Bengaluru (PTI): A 19-year-old student from Kerala, who was studying at a private nursing college here, allegedly died by suicide in his hostel room, police said on Friday.
The deceased was identified as Adhityan P A, a second-year student at a nursing college in Bommasandra, they said.
On April 29, he was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room, police said, adding that he left behind a suicide note stating that no one was responsible for his death.
Preliminary investigation suggested that he may have been suffering from depression, and there may have been other issues which are being probed, a senior police officer said.
According to police, in his complaint, the deceased's father, Pradeep S, claimed that a college representative informed him upon his arrival in Bengaluru that his son had died under suspicious circumstances and that it was a case of suicide in the college hostel.
"However, I firmly believe that my son would not have taken such a step. He was of good character and mentally strong. Therefore, I strongly suspect foul play in his death," he claimed.
He also highlighted an incident that occurred approximately 20 days ago, when his son informed him that some of his hostel roommates were involved in drug use and were caught by hostel authorities.
"They were warned along with my son, although he was innocent and not involved in the incident. This situation may be relevant to the present case," he stated.
The complainant has urged the police to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter and take appropriate legal action.
A case of unnatural death has been registered at Hebbagudi Police Station here. Further investigation is underway, and all allegations are being examined, police said.
