CM Bommai announces tax exemption for 'Gandhada Gudi'
Bengaluru, Oct 21: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced tax exemption for late Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer Kannada docudrama 'Gandhada Gudi' which is based on protection and conservation of flora and fauna.
This is said to the last film of the actor, who died of cardiac arrest in 2021 at the age of 46.
Bommai, who participated in a pre-release event of the film here, said he is happy to participate in the event as it gives an impression that 'appu,' as Puneeth was popularly known, is alive.
Puneeth Rajkumar had been popular as a child artiste and acted in several movies, but his works in the Kannada film industry subsequently made him remain in the hearts of people.
"For all of us Appu is alive," the Chief Minister was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
Film personalities of Kannada and other South Indian artistes like Yash, Ramesh Aravind, Sai Kumar, Siddharth, Suriya, and Sarathkumar, among others, attended the event.
Puneeth's brothers Shiva Rajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar and other family members were present on the occasion.
'Gandhada Gudi' is directed by Amoghavarsha's PRK Productions, the home banner of the late actor and his wife Ashwini is the producer.
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
