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‘Major Void in Scientific Community’, Modi Condoles Demise of Ex-DRDO Chief

© Photo : twitter/@DrSJaishankarModi Condoles Demise of Ex-DRDO Chief
Modi Condoles Demise of Ex-DRDO Chief  - Sputnik India, 1920, 17.08.2023
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V.S. Arunachalam initiated India's major defence projects like the Light Combat Aircraft and the Integrated Guided Missiles programmes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday led the nation in offering condolences to renowned scientist and former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief V.S. Arunachalam.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Modi said: “Dr. V.S. Arunachalam’s passing away leaves a major void in scientific community and the strategic world. He was greatly admired for his knowledge, passion for research and rich contribution towards strengthening India’s security capabilities. Condolences to his family and well wishers. Om Shanti.”

Apart from Modi, several ministers and others also paid tributes to the late scientist.

Expressing grief, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar wrote: “Deeply grieved to learn of the passing away of Dr. V S Arunachalam, former Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri. He was a mentor to so many on defense, technology, and nuclear matters.”

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national President J.P. Nadda also expressed grief over the demise of former DRDO chief as he remembered Arunachalam as a “visionary leader who made seminal contributions towards strengthening India's defence capabilities”.
The family of Arunachalam issued a statement on Wednesday announcing his passing in the United States. The statement said, “With great sadness and a sense of immense loss, we would like to convey the demise of Dr V S Arunachalam. He passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by close family in California”.
Arunachalam was undergoing treatment for acute pneumonia and Parkinson’s disease.

About Dr. V.S. Arunachalam

Born on 10 November 1935, Dr Vallampadugai Srinivasa Raghavan Arunachalam worked as scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, National Aeronautical Laboratory in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory in Hyderabad.
He also served as the chief of the DRDO for around 10 years in the 1980s, while he was also defence scientific advisor to the defence minister between 1982 and 1992.
Arunachalam was also the founder and chairman of Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a not-for-profit think-tank which aims to enrich policy-making with innovative approaches using science and technology for a sustainable, secure, and inclusive society in Bengaluru.
For his contributions, he has been conferred with several awards, including Padma Bhushan in 1985, Padma Vibhushan in 1990, the DRDO’s lifetime achievement award in 2015, and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in Engineering Science in 1980. He was also the first Indian to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, second left, Defense Minister George Fernandes, center, founder of the Indian nuclear program A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, center right, and Atomic Energy Chief R. Chidambaram display the victory symbol during a visit to the Shakti 1 test site, where India tested nuclear devices a week earlier, in Pokhran, India, May 20, 1998 - Sputnik India, 1920, 28.07.2023
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