General
Chandrayaan-3: Hello Superpowers, India Is On The Moon!
India is on the moon. With those five words, ISRO chairman S Somanath summed up the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, a longdrawn journey scripted by its dedicated scientists, unmindful of the recent setback to Chandrayaan-2. As the sun rose over the moon’s South Pole, the Vikram Lander, with Pragyan in its belly, gently touched on the Moon’s surface kicking up lunar dust and kick-starting a new chapter in what could be the beginning of a space odyssey to Mars, the sun and the space beyond. Responding to over a million prayers of Indians all over the world, Vikram held its nerve in what is described as ‘20 minutes of terror’ and landed flawlessly in the unchartered South Pole, making India the first country to leave its footprints in the area and the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to land on the lunar surface.
It was a nail-biting moment at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru when at around 5.25 pm the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) was initiated, leaving Vikram to its own maneuvers in the final touchdown. The scientists broke into a huge applause hugging each other, crying in joy as the world cheered India’s achievement in taking within its embrace the ‘khoya khoya chand and the khula aasman.’
PM Modi celebrates the moment
Celebrating the moment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Johannesburg in South Africa, said the moon landing is the dawn of a new era. “India will not stop on the moon. The new era of confidence and belief will take us beyond,” he said, adding that the Aditya L1 mission to the Sun and the human space mission, Gaganyaan, are next in the pipeline. Coming back to the Chandrayaan-3, at around 5 pm, the first of the series of the final commands emanated from Bengaluru, telling the ALS to take over and begin its four-phase descent towards the moon’s surface.
Highly controlled and powered descent
In a highly controlled and powered descent, closely monitored by the orbiting propulsion modules – Chandrayaan-2 and 3 — Vikram lander took its final steps, hurtling towards the moon’s surface at a velocity of 1.68 km per second, which is nearly 6048 km per hour – almost ten times the velocity of an airplane. Moments later, in the first phase, the Vikram lander slammed the brakes – called the rough braking phase — by firing its engines for about 11.5 minutes. Next came the fine braking phase when Vikram was made to further slow down and shift to a vertical mode to face the moon’s surface. This was the phase when the lander during the Chandrayaan-2 launch went out of control and crashed on the moon’s surface. At 800 meters above the Moon’s surface, both the horizontal and vertical velocities were reduced to zero giving Vikram 10 seconds to survey the landing strip. The lander was then made to go down further and hover once at 150 meters, taking images of hazards in quest for the best landing site. It then touched down on the lunar surface with just two engines firing and its sturdy legs absorbing the impact of 3m/second or about 10.8 km per hour. Soon after the sensors on the legs felt the lunar surface, the engines immediately shut down marking the end of the 20-minutes of terror. Vikram’s landing was dramatic as it kicked up dust, which took over two hours to settle due to weak gravity on the moon.
Pragyaan rolled out
Once the dust settled down, the child in Vikram’s belly, the Pragyaan, rolled out to ‘play’ on the moon’s surface. The rover took its baby steps towards the Moon’s surface after remaining in deep slumber for over 3.84 lakh km lasting 40 days. The big moment came when Vikram took images of the rover and Pragyaan responded by clicking images of the lander, the first ‘selfies’ clicked by India from the lunar surface. The lander and rover are both solar powered and are made to last one lunar day – which is equal to 14 Earth days. In these 14 days, the Pragyaan would be actively sniffing for water. During the Lunar day, the solar panels would be charged so that when the sun rises again, work can begin again.
NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) played a key role, says ISRO Chief S Somanath
In India’s journey to the moon, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) played a key role, said Somanath in his comments. ‘‘We cannot track the mission in the shadow areas and it is here that other agencies would key in,’’ he added. ESA supported the lander during the entire phase of lunar surface operations, helping to ensure that science data acquired by the rover arrives safely with ISRO. ISRO operates a 32-metre deep space tracking station in Byalalu, in Karnataka, that enabled it to locate, track, command and receive telemetry and scientific data from its distant spacecraft. India is not going to stop on the moon. With all the cheers coming from all over and the team work of hundreds of scientists at ISRO, space would be an unchartered expanse waiting to be explored, and the endeavour is to tread where no man has gone before.
Maharashtra
Focus where the power is, victory will be ours…In the elections, Member of Parliament Dr. Shrikant Shinde gave the workers a mantra of victory

Mumbai: In the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, focus with full force where the organization is strong. Plan at the micro level, appoint booth coordinators and strengthen the election preparations. If we work in an organized and strategic manner, victory will be ours. This message was given by Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party leader and Parliament Ratna MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde to the workers and office bearers. MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde’s two-day Shiv Samavad tour began today from Nandarbar in Khandesh. During this, he reviewed various assembly constituencies of the district in meetings held in Nandarbar and Taloda. Addressing the meeting, he guided the workers regarding the preparations and organization for the upcoming elections. Minister Dada Bhose, MLA Amsha Padvi, MLA Chandrakant Raghuvanshi, MLA Rajendra Gavit, Shiv Sena state unit chief and former MP Anand Paranjape, Shiv Sena secretary Bhausaheb Choudhary, Shiv Sena Nandarbar Lok Sabha liaison chief and former MLA Shreesh Choudhary and other important officials were present on the occasion. MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde reviewed the Shahada and Akkalkuwa assembly constituencies in Taloda this morning. In this meeting, he directed the officials to effectively conduct the voter list revision campaign, appoint BLAs and appoint a coordinator at each of the 20 polling stations. He said that the appointment of coordinators will enable regular review of each booth. If work is done systematically at the booth level, the organization will be strong and the chances of winning the elections will also increase. MP Dr. Shinde further said that what happened in the previous elections should be left behind. All the workers and office bearers should work unitedly thinking about how to increase the strength of Shiv Sena in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti areas. He said that there will be no alliance in the upcoming elections, the party leadership will decide on this, but the workers should work with attention at each booth. If we work with full effort and dedication, victory will be ours.
Dr. Shinde said that the strength of Shiv Sena in Nandurbar district is continuously increasing. A large section has been formed in the state that respects Shinde sahib’s leadership. As the Chief Minister, Shinde sahib implemented many welfare schemes of public interest, which the voters are aware of. This is the reason why Shiv Sena has got good public support and success in the Nagar Parishad and Municipal Corporation elections.
In the second meeting held in Nandurbar city, MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde reviewed Nandurbar and Nawapur assembly constituencies. On this occasion, he said that Shinde sahib has done a lot for the common people through the “Shaan Aap Ke Darwaza” campaign. The people’s trust in his leadership is constantly increasing. This is why leaders and workers of other political parties are also eager to join Shiv Sena. MLA Dr. Shinde urged the workers to strengthen the organization and asked them to work with full loyalty and increase the strength of the party. He said that the election symbol of Shiv Sena ‘Dhanush Ban’ should reach every area. The party leadership is committed to strengthening the workers and providing them all possible support. On this occasion, MLA Chandrakant Raghuvanshi said that Shiv Sena has a good hold in Akkalkuwa and Dhargaon talukas, while special efforts are needed to further strengthen the organization in Taloda and Shahada talukas. He expressed confidence that Shiv Sena will hoist the saffron flag in the upcoming Nandarbar Zilla Parishad elections. MLA Raghuvanshi also demanded that party office bearers and corporators be given more organizational powers and responsibilities. MLA Amsha Padvi and former MLA Shreesh Chaudhary also expressed their views in the meeting.
Shinde sahib’s eye on every taluka and assembly constituency
The Shiv Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra pays special attention to every taluka and assembly constituency. This is why party leaders are constantly touring even in the scorching heat of 45 degrees. This was said by Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party leader and MP Dr. Srikant Shinde.
He said that there is no election yet, yet Shiv Sena leaders are going from village to village to meet workers and working to strengthen the organization. Dr. Shinde said that under the leadership of Shinde sahib, there has been a big change in the way Shiv Sena works. Earlier, leaders used to go on tours, give speeches and leave, but now it is not like that. He said that now it is not just speeches but the leader himself goes to the field and works and establishes a direct dialogue with the workers. Dr. Shinde said that in the last two years, he has visited Nandarbar district four times, which shows the seriousness of the party leadership towards the organization.
Maharashtra
Mayor Ritu Tawde appeals to citizens to make Mumbai green and vibrant, takes initiative for tree plantation, participates in tree plantation at various places

Mumbai: Every citizen should voluntarily participate in the central government’s ‘Ek Vresh Ai Che Nave’ (One Tree for Mother) campaign. They should take a pledge to plant and nurture at least one tree in a public place. The Municipal Corporation will provide the necessary saplings, soil and other facilities for this initiative. In the backdrop of increasing urbanization, creating more and more green and lush areas in Mumbai is the need of the hour. Trees are the pillars of ecological balance and a Mumbai adorned with greenery will be a priceless gift for the coming generations. Therefore, Mumbai Mayor Smt. Ritu Tawde appealed to everyone to take the initiative to make Mumbai tree-filled, clean and beautiful. On the occasion of World Environment Day, an initiative to plant about 17,047 trees was launched today (June 5, 2026) morning under the patronage of Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde. This includes places like Vashi Zakat Naka, near Maurya Lake in Mulund (East) on the Eastern Express Highway, near Bhandup Udanchan Kendra in Nahor (East), Kanjarmarg Launch Pad, near Kesorena Housing Society in Ghatkopar (East) and Chittaranjan Maidan in Ghatkopar (East). Mayor Mrs. Tawde highlighted that this is a major step towards making Mumbai greener, more eco-friendly and sustainable. The tree plantation drive was launched by the Mayor in the morning. Ritu Tawde in the Vashi Naka area, one of the major entry points of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This was followed by an ambitious initiative by the Mayor to plant 1000 trees on both sides of the Eastern Expressway between Malind and Ghatkopar. Under this, a special initiative was taken to plant yellow river trees in the boundaries of the three wards N, S and T along the Eastern Expressway between Pantnagar and Malind. This initiative will help make the Eastern Expressway area more attractive, natural and eco-friendly in the coming days.
In addition, the Mayor also launched a comprehensive campaign to plant 16,000 trees on the Kanjurmarg land. Mayor Tawde expressed confidence that these tree plantation activities at various locations will significantly increase the green cover of Mumbai and strengthen environmental protection.
The tree plantation drive held at various locations was attended by the President of the Ward Committee of M-East Division, Ms. Khairunnisa Akbar Hussain, Local Corporator Zameer Qureshi, Local Corporator Dinesh Panchal, Local Corporator Roshan Sheikh, Local Corporator Shabana Qazi, Executive Engineer of M-East Division and Assistant Commissioner (Additional Charge) Mr. Bhaskar Kasgakar, Assistant Commissioner of TD Vision, STM were also present. Yogita Kolhe, Assistant Commissioner of S Division and Assistant Commissioner (Additional Charge) Mayur Bhamre, Assistant Commissioner of N Division Maruti Pawar, Deputy Superintendent of Gardens Sunil Rathod, Assistant Superintendent of Gardens Harshikesh Hendry along with concerned officers, citizens, NGOs, environmental workers were present.
Maharashtra
Mumbai 9 DCPs transferred, Smita Patil transferred to Port Zone

Mumbai: After a massive transfer in Maharashtra Police, the Home Ministry has today issued transfer orders of 9 DCPs. DCPATS Dinesh Giri Dharbari has been transferred to Pune Crime Branch SP, Yashwant Salwanke Additional SP to DCP Amrautti, Sandeep Jadhav to State Control Room, Shashikant Devaraj to Mirabhayander DCP, Smita Bheeshek Patil to DCP Port Zone from Security Corporation, Matish Ghati to DCP Mumbai City from Mumbai Force One, Vaishali Mane Bhayander has been cancelled and restored to her post. In Mumbai too, the transfer of several DCPs has been cancelled and they have been retained in Mumbai. Along with this, the process of transfers of IPS officers is going on across the state.
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