India post release commemorative stamps, souvenir sheets on India's human space programme
Bengaluru (PTI): The Department of Posts on Sunday released two commemorative postage stamps and souvenir sheets to celebrate the remarkable progress of India's human space programme, led by ISRO.
K Prakash, Chief Postmaster General of the Karnataka Postal Circle, released the commemorative stamps in the presence of Dr V Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS).
The commemorative postage stamps and souvenir sheets visually capture India's journey from early achievements, such as the launch of Aryabhata, to its future ambitions in human spaceflight and orbital infrastructure. They also reflect India's rich scientific heritage, symbolised by landmarks such as the Jantar Mantar, India Post said.
"These stamps capture India's evolution from its early beginnings under Dr Vikram Sarabhai to become a global space power. They highlight major achievements, such as Chandrayaan-3, and the upcoming human spaceflight mission- Gaganyaan, symbolising the country's growing technological strength and ambition," a senior India Post official said at the event.
One souvenir sheet showcases the Gaganyaan crew module alongside future aspirations like Bharatiya Antariksha Station, reflecting India's vision of establishing a space station by 2035.
The other sheet draws inspiration from the Axiom 4 mission machine, honouring Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and beautifully connects India's ancient astronomical heritage with modern scientific machines, he said.
According to officials, the mission patch created by designer Manish Tripathi for Shukla's historic Axiom 4 mission spaceflight was part of the stamp released on Sunday, on the occasion of the International Day of Human Space Flight.
Addressing the gathering, Group Captain Shukla said that space missions or explorations have the potential to transform a nation.
Recalling ISRO's successful missions over the years and his association with the space agency, he said, "Hopefully very soon, we will be able to launch astronauts on our own rocket and our own launch vehicle to space, and bring them back safely."
"Last year, when I was in the US, training for this (Axiom-4) mission to go to space, there was a story you could carry with you in the form of a mission patch, which is one of the stamps released today," he said.
"We gave a lot of thought to what story we should carry into space. If you look at it, a theme connecting this patch is, where India started in terms of space missions, the first satellite, Aryabhatta, which went to space and where we are today, when we are pursuing Mission Gaganyaan," he said.
Shukla called on the students and youngsters with a message that "sky was never the limit, not for me, not for you, and not for Bharat."
ISRO Chairman Narayanan lauded the service of the postal department for the nation during his address.
Listing ISRO's achievements and expertise over the years, he said, "Today, building a satellite is like a child's play for my colleagues at ISRO... When it comes to launch vehicle capability, the LVM-3 can currently carry a payload of up to 10,000 kg. We are working on a next-generation launch vehicle capable of taking 30,000 kg and 80,000 kg into low earth orbit."
Crediting PM Narendra Modi for the human space flight programme, the ISRO chief asserted that ensuring the safety of Gaganyatris (astronauts) is of utmost priority while preparing for the human space flight missions.
"Under the guidance of our PM, a lot of activities are going on. We are working on the Gaganyaan programme. Please don't ask me when the date is. It is a technology-intensive programme, and we're solving problems, moving forward, and succeeding at every stage. We are planning for an uncrewed mission first. After completing three uncrewed missions, we have to go for the crewed mission, because for us, safety is very, very important," he said.
Noting that work is underway for the Indian space station, Narayanan said it will be a total 52-tonne space station.
"India plans to have five modules of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station in place by 2035. The launch of the first module is expected by 2028," he added.
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Modi govt wants to put caste census in cold storage: Congress
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday alleged that the government wants to put the caste census in "cold storage" and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to amend the women's reservation law with the agenda of "misleading" the country.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed the Modi government wants to amend Article 334-A on the grounds that the "caste census results will not be available for a few years", overlooking the fact that both Bihar and Telangana completed the comprehensive caste survey in less than six months.
Article 334-A includes the provision that reservation of seats for women would take effect following an exercise of census and delimitation. The government has, however, decided to delink the implementation of the women's quota from the census exercise, which will include caste enumeration, to fast-track it.
"It is clear that the Modi government wants to put the caste census in cold storage," Ramesh claimed on X, dubbing it the "hidden agenda".
There was no immediate response from the government to the Congress' allegations.
Ramesh said that the government had been averse to a caste case and pointed out that on July 20, 2021, it answered a question in Lok Sabha stating that it decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in the Census.
On September 21, 2021, the Modi government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that it has taken a conscious policy decision not to conduct a caste census, Ramesh said.
"On April 28, 2024, in a television interview, the Prime Minister accused the Congress of having an urban naxal mindset for championing the cause of a caste census," the Congress leader said.
On April 30, 2025, as the country was still in shock after the Pahalgam terror attack that occurred a few days earlier, the Modi government suddenly announced that the caste census would be conducted as a part of the upcoming census, he said.
Ramesh pointed out that in a widely-reported press conference on March 30, 2026, the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner said most of the results of the ongoing Census 2027 would be available in 2027 itself since the entire Census is being conducted digitally.
"But now the Modi government wants to amend Article 334-A, saying that the caste census results will not be available for a few years - overlooking the fact that both Bihar and Telangana completed the comprehensive caste survey in less than six months," he said.
The prime minister is, as usual, "misleading" the country and engaging in massive deception, Ramesh said.
"He now wants to amend what the Parliament had unanimously passed in September 2023. The hidden agenda is simply not to have the caste census," the Congress general secretary said.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, at the presser on March 30, had asked people to provide accurate information to census enumerators, asserting that individual data will remain confidential and cannot be used as evidence or to obtain any benefit under any scheme.
Asked about caste being included in the Census and the apprehension that people may not furnish correct information, Narayan said at a press conference the data related to caste will be collected during the second phase, and the questions will be decided after exhaustive discussions.
"Earlier, data was collected on physical paper, which took a lot of time in digitisation. We will start collecting digital data from the outset, so we will be able to issue it very early. Many data sets will be published in 2027," Narayan had said.
The Congress' attack on the government comes days ahead of the three-day sitting of Parliament, during which the government is set to bring bills to implement the Women's Reservation Act before the 2029 parliamentary polls and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, with 273 reserved for women.
The Congress has accused the Modi government of playing politics in the name of the women's reservation law and asserted that the proposed delimitation exercise linked to it was "not constitutional" and could have "grave consequences" that warrant thorough deliberation after the ongoing assembly polls.
At a Congress Working Committee meeting, it was decided that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would call a meeting of top leaders of all opposition parties, most likely on April 15, to discuss and formulate a joint strategy for the "special session" of Parliament from April 16 to 18.
In a letter to the prime minister, Kharge has said it would be "impossible" to have any useful discussion on the women's quota law without details of delimitation and other aspects, and demanded that an all-party meeting be called on the matter after the current round of state polls gets over on April 29.
Kharge said that calling Parliament's special sitting amid state polls reinforces the belief that the government is hurrying the implementation of the women's reservation law for "political mileage".
