- Union Minister Jitendra Singh addressed issues about NPCIL and ISRO developments
- NPCIL confirmed no sensitive data breach at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project
- ISRO tightened rules on resignations to manage key missions like Gaganyaan
Union Minister Jitendra Singh has answered several questions on two key developments concerning the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The NPCIL had said there had been no breach of sensitive data at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), and the Department of Space (DoS) had issued a directive to ISRO, tightening rules on voluntary retirement and resignations amid a mass exodus in the Indian space agency.
To a question about the ISRO memo, Singh said it was "for administrative reasons" and not because of any other factor.
"No, that is because... that is for administrative reasons so that the decision can be taken at a much mature level," the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology told reporters. He said ISRO has a very large workforce that as people leave, many also join. "Many have gone, many have come," he said, and pointed out there was no controversy on the matter.
He also indicated the whole noise about the KKNPP actually had nothing to do with the strategic facility, and questioned the need for a review when nothing had happened in the first place.
Former ISRO chairman Dr Somanath S has joined Chennai-based space startup Agnikul Cosmos as an observer on its board of directors. He served as ISRO chairman till January 2025, oversaw several landmark missions, including the successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing near the Moon's south pole and the launch of Aditya-L1, India's first solar observatory.
To a question about India's future space missions, the Union minister recalled what the space agency's former chief had remarked.
"In one of the very early meetings about 10 years back, he said sending up a man is easier, getting him back is equally difficult. And that's how, you know, this crew module thing started. Now Somanath is no longer in the picture. It doesn't mean the Gaganyaan mission has stopped. It doesn't happen. And moreover in ISRO, they work in continuity. Even retired and ex-scientists are very much part of the projects. So it's a different kind of work culture there," Singh said.
The ISRO memo, issued on July 14 to centres like the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), directed them not to routinely accept resignation or voluntary retirement requests from Group 'A' scientific and technical personnel linked to Gaganyaan - India's prestigious human spaceflight programme - and other "important missions".
In the nuclear plant matter, the investigation is being done by the NPCIL and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). Kudankulam operates two 1,000 MW Russian-designed reactors, while four additional units are under construction.
Once completed, the project is expected to become India's largest nuclear power park with a total installed capacity of 6,000 MW.
