Congress demands account of foreign donations received by PM CARES Fund
New Delhi, Dec 16: The Congress hit out at the government over the PM CARES Fund on Wednesday and demanded an account of the foreign donations received by it.
Chief spokesperson of the opposition party Randeep Surjewala demanded probity, saying the fund be made accountable and the details of the money received by it be made public.
"The intriguing case of 'foreign donations', including from China, Pakistan and Qatar to #PMCaresFund!
"Questions to PM - Why did Indian Embassies publicise and receive donation to PM Cares Fund? Why was the Fund advertised on banned Chinese apps?" he asked in a series of tweets.
Surjewala also sought to know how much money was received by the fund from Pakistan and Qatar and who donated that money.
"How many thousand CR were received in Fund from 27 foreign countries?" he asked.
"Why were the 27 Indian Embassies advertising the Fund through 'Closed Channels, not in Public Domain', when Fund is not a 'Public Authority' within RTI?" he asked.
The Congress leader also sought to know why the fund has been exempted from a preview of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) by the government.
"Isn't it the only exception in India for a charitable trust? Why this Special treatment?
"Why is the Fund then not a 'Public Authority'? Why is Fund not audited by CAG or GOI and report made public as substantial foreign donations were received?" he asked.
The intriguing case of “foreign donations’, including from China, Pakistan & Qatar to #PMCaresFund !
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 16, 2020
Questions to PM-:
1. Why did Indian Embassies publicise & receive donation to PM Cares Fund?
2. Why was the Fund advertised on banned Chinese apps?
1/n https://t.co/gyXhYq261q
2/n
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 16, 2020
The intriguing case of “foreign donations’, including from China, Pakistan & Qatar to #PMCaresFund !
Questions to PM-:
3. How much money was received from Pakistan & who donated?
4. Which are the two companies in Qatar donating to the Fund & how many Crores were received? https://t.co/T80xGkXX2o
3/n
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 16, 2020
The intriguing case of foreign donations, including from China, Pak & Qatar to #PMCaresFund !
Questions to PM-:
5. How many thousand CR were received in Fund from 27 foreign countries?
6. Was there a quid pro quo with NISSEI ASB between donation & restarting their factory? https://t.co/f1CZyHLbbH
4/n
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 16, 2020
The intriguing case of ‘foreign donations’, including from China, Pakistan & Qatar to #PMCaresFund !
Questions to PM-:
7. Why were the 27 Indian Embassies advertising the Fund through “Closed Channels, not in Public Domain”, when Fund is not a ‘Public Authority’ within RTI? https://t.co/a8qnSREgwJ
5/n
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 16, 2020
The intriguing case of ‘foreign donations’, including from China, Pakistan & Qatar to #PMCaresFund !
Questions to PM-:
8. Why has the Fund been exempted from preview of FCRA by the Govt?
Isn’t it the only exception in India for a Charitable trust? Why this Spl. treatment? https://t.co/QUNbol7VhK
6/6
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 16, 2020
The intriguing case of foreign donations, including from China, Pak & Qatar to #PMCaresFund !
Questions to PM-:
9. Why is the Fund then not a ‘Public Authority’?
10. Why is Fund not audited by CAG or GOI & report made public as substantial foreign donations were received? https://t.co/CvssBLkQLr
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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.
