- By Aalok Sensharma
- Fri, 06 Sep 2019 04:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Kolkata | Jagran News Desk: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that the hype about the Chandrayaan-2 is an attempt by the government to divert attention from the current economic scenario.
“As if the Chandrayaan launch is the first in the country. As if before they came to power, no such missions were taken up. It is an attempt to divert attention from economic disaster,” said Mamata Banerjee inside the Bengal Assembly during a discussion on a resolution against NRC.
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Her statement comes after India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew just 5 per cent in the April-June 2019, much lower than 8 per cent growth in the same quarter last fiscal. The previous low in GDP growth was recorded at 4.9 per cent in April-June 2012-13. India's economic growth stood at 8 per cent in the same quarter of 2018-19.
Meanwhile, the Chandrayaan-2 will make the soft landing on the south pole of the moon on the lunar surface at 1:55 am on Saturday.
The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft will be the first Indian expedition to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface. This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to conduct a soft landing on the moon.
Following the landing, the rover 'Pragyaan' will roll out from 'Vikram' between 5.30 am and 6.30 am. While, the 'Pragyaan' will carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day, which is equal to 14 earth days, the main orbiter will continue its mission for a year.
The mission took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22. India's second mission to the moon was approved by the cabinet on September 2008, just before the launch of Chandrayaan 1.