No ration to 20 Odisha families for defecating in open
Berhampur (Odisha): Over 20 families in Ganjam district have not been given ration supply after a panchayat body decided to stop the benefits from reaching people who were found defecating in open.
According to a decision taken at a panchayat meeting on October 20, the distribution of ration under the public distribution system (PDS) was stopped to over 20 families in last 11 days, Sushant Swain, the sarpanch of Goutami panchayat in Sanakhemundi block, said.
However, Ganjam district collector Vijay Amruta Kunage said, the benefits under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and State Food Security Act (SFSA) to any person should not be curtailed.
If anyone was found defecating in open, particularly on roadside, the panchayat body will instruct the dealer concerned to stop giving ration to such people for a month, Swain said.
The move is aimed at making people aware of the need to use toilets, he said.
Around 300 women, all members of a self-help group (SHG), patrol the open spaces in the panchayat from 3 AM to 5 AM and 5 PM to 7 PM to keep vigil on the violators, the sarpanch said.
"If they find anyone defecating in the open, they inform the panchayat. The women do the work voluntarily," he said.
Initially several villagers had opposed the decision of the panchayat but the number of people defecating in the open was now gradually reducing, he claimed.
Those who do not have toilets in their houses have been asked to build toilets in the next two months under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Swain said.
Goutami panchayat has around 2,000 households with a population of 4,563. Of these, Of these, 180 families do not have toilets in their houses at present, the sarpanch said.
However, some of them have initiated steps for construction of toilets, he said. "We will discuss the matter with the block office and ensure that all beneficiaries get ration," said the collector.
Peasant leader Bhala Chandra Sarangi said, "Right to Food is the constitutional right of a person, a panchayat cant deny this right to people.
"There are other methods to create awareness among the people to stop open defecation." India was declared open defecation-free on October 2.
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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.
