No discrimination in NRC process, assures Rajnath
New Delhi, Aug 3: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday assured that there would be no discrimination or unnecessary harassment in the entire updation process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said it was being carried out in a fair and transparent manner.
Responding to a Short Duration Discussion over the issue in the Rajya Sabha which saw disruptions and adjournments of the proceedings in the last few days, the Minister said that the government was committed to complete the procedure in a time bound manner.
"I am reiterating that it is not the final NRC. It is just a draft NRC. Adequate opportunity will be provided to everyone for the claims and objections. Despite it, if anybody's name remains out of the list, he can approach the Foreigners Tribunal," Rajnath Singh said.
He also assured that there would be no coercive action against anybody.
The Minister said that the NRC updation exercise was being carried out in a totally fair, transparent, non discriminatory and legal manner.
"The entire process is being carried out under the supervision of the Supreme Court. It is also monitoring the exercise on a routine basis,. Nobody will be harassed. There has been no discrimination and there would be no discrimination," he said ridiculing the allegations levelled by some opposition parties.
He said that the draft NRC has been published in accordance with the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985 when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister.
The decision to update it was taken by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005.
The Minister also hit out at some political parties, saying they are trying to create an atmosphere of fear among the people.
"It is unfortunate that some persons with vested interest are running a propaganda on social media so that the issue can be internationalised and communal harmony be affected," he said.
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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.
