R-Day honours: Ashoka Chakra for space hero Shubhanshu Shukla
Shaurya Chakra for 2 women Navy officers
New Delhi (PTI): Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who created history by becoming the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS), was on Sunday awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award.
In June last year, Shukla became the second Indian to have gone to space and the first to visit the ISS as part of the historic Axiom-4 mission. His 18-day space odyssey came 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Russian Soyuz-11 space mission.
On the eve of the Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu approved gallantry awards to 70 armed forces personnel, including six who would receive the honour posthumously.
These include one Ashoka Chakra, three Kirti Chakra, 13 Shaurya Chakra, including one posthumous, one Bar to Sena Medal (gallantry), 44 Sena Medals (gallantry), six Nao Sena Medals (gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals.
Two women officers of the Indian Navy -- Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A -- were honoured with the Shaurya Chakra award, months after they made history by completing an extraordinary expedition to circumnavigate the globe, covering 21,600 nautical miles (approx 40,000 km) over an eight-month period onboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini.
The Shaurya Chakra is India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award after the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra.
The Kirti Chakra has been conferred on Major Arshdeep Singh from 1 Assam Rifles, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba from 2 Para (Special Forces) and Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair.
Nair was one of the four astronauts who underwent training for India's first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.
The decision to confer the Ashoka Chakra on Shukla is seen as the government's recognition of the importance of the space sector as the coveted honour is generally bestowed on military personnel for showing "most conspicuous bravery".
As a fighter pilot, Shukla has an impressive record of 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32.
Shukla served as the pilot for the Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) to the ISS and left an indelible mark on India's remarkable advancements in human space exploration.
After the successful space mission, Shukla became a household name as his contributions during the mission, including the conduct of sophisticated experiments, received recognition from global space experts.
The Axiom-4 mission was executed by US-based private firm Axiom Space and it involved the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Shukla hails from Lucknow. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 2006.
Of the 13 Shaurya Chakra awards, 10 were conferred on Army personnel (one posthumous), two went to the Navy and one to a paramilitary official.
The Shaurya Chakra awardees are Lieutenant Colonel Ghatage Aditya Shrikumar from 21 Para (special forces), Major Anshul Baltoo from 32 Assam Rifles, Major Shivkant Yadav from 5 Para (special forces), Major Vivek Mech from 42 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Leishangthem Deepak Singh from 11 Para (special forces) and Captain Yogendra Singh Thaku from 6 Para (special forces).
Subedar P H Moses from 1 Assam Rifles, Baldev Chand (posthumous) from 4 Rashtriya Rifles, Rifleman Manglem Sang Vaiphei from 3 Assam Rifles and Rifleman Dhruba Jyoti Dutta from 33 Assam Rifles were the other recipients of the Shaurya Chakra from the Army.
The president also approved 301 military decorations to armed forces and other personnel.
These include 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, four Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, 56 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, nine Yudh Seva Medals, two Bar to Sena Medals (Distinguished), 43 Sena Medals (Distinguished), eight Nao Sena Medals (Distinguished), 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Distinguished) and 135 Vishisht Seva Medals.
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Increasing voter turnout shows people's trust in EC growing stronger: BJP Chief Nitin Nabin
New Delhi (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Sunday acknowledged the Election Commission's effort in conducting fair and transparent polls, asserting that the increasing voter turnout in many states is a clear indication that people's trust in both the voting process and the poll panel has become stronger.
Addressing young voters at an event organised here at the BJP headquarters to mark National Voters' Day, Nabin highlighted the role of voters, especially the youth, in a democracy and said that India can achieve its goal of becoming a developed country by 2047 only by their collective efforts.
Political parties may be different, ideas and thinking may be different, but for the youth, the theme must be 'nation first and collective effort', he said.
"There was a time when, after casting a vote in a ballot box, there used to be apprehension about where that box had gone, but today the country has entered the electronic and digital era," the BJP chief said.
"Today, when we cast our vote, it immediately becomes clear to whom the vote has been cast. This entire process, in one way or another, reflects the complete transparency of the Election Commission," he added.
Nabin said that over the past several years, the Election Commission has brought many "positive changes" and added "new dimensions" to its functioning, which, he said, has further strengthened the democratic process.
"It is truly remarkable to imagine that nearly 95 crore voters in the country exercise their franchise at the same time, a number greater than the combined population of many countries. Conducting elections for such a vast electorate and maintaining complete transparency is in itself a major achievement," the BJP chief said.
The increasing voter turnout in many states today is a clear indication that people's trust in both the voting process and the Election Commission has continued to grow stronger, he added.
Nabin's remarks were made on a day when opposition parties questioned the integrity of the Election Commission, with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleging that the "right to vote is being bulldozed" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Terming the Election Commission's celebration of National Voters' Day as a "tragic farce", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the poll panel of bulldozing the opposition and destroying the foundation of the country's democracy on "behalf of the BJP."
Nabin said that the Election Commission has played an important role in providing the country with a "clean government and ensuring the right to vote for every citizen". He mentioned that the commission carries out necessary tasks, including the purification of electoral rolls.
Today, every voter is confident that the vote they cast goes to the "right person and the right party," becoming a "means for the development of the state and the country," once they press the button in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), Nabin added.
He praised the commission for using phrases like "My India, my vote" and the tagline "Citizen at the heart of Indian democracy."
The BJP chief emphasised that becoming a voter is not just a right, but also instils a sense of responsibility and accountability because where there are rights, there are also duties attached.
"All of us are the people who will witness 'Viksit Bharat' in 2047, and the Viksit Bharat of 2047 will not be built by the efforts of a single individual, but by the collective efforts of every young person," he said.
According to Nabin, today's voters will shape the future of India, and every vote cast today lays the foundation for the nation's progress.
He encouraged the youth to adopt a forward-thinking attitude based on the word "we," asserting that "we" are our country, our family, and our state, and that the "wealth of our nation belongs to all of us."
Nabin advised that people should enter politics with a "positive mindset" and the intention of bringing about constructive changes in the system.
However, he noted that entering politics is not the only way to serve the nation, adding that, "a person can serve the country and contribute to its progress by making an outstanding contribution in whichever field or discipline they are engaged in."
Addressing the event, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal exhorted the young voters to exercise their franchise "fairly in the best interest of the country, without fear".
"Your single vote is so decisive. It's the decider of India's destiny. Today, you are getting the right to vote. Governments will be formed with your vote. Your vote is so valuable," the minister said.
"In 2014, the Indian voters cast a decisive vote, and Narendra Modi became the prime minister of this country. India's destiny is moving forward at a rapid pace. That's why your vote is so important," he added.
BJP National General Secretary Arun Singh, the party's Delhi unit president Virendra Sachdeva, and several other leaders were present at the event.
