NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCHEDULED TRIBES

The framers of the Constitution took note of the fact that certain communities in the country were suffering from extreme social, educational and economic backwardness arising out of age-old practice of untouchability and certain others on account of this primitive agricultural practices, lack of infrastructure facilities and geographical isolation, and who need special consideration for safeguarding their interests and for their accelerated socio-economic development. These communities were notified as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as per provisions contained in Clause 1 of Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution respectively.

Acts and Amendments:

»	The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention Of Atrocities Act, 1989
»	The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995
»	NOTIFICATION
»	NCST CM ViceCM and Members Conditions of Service and TenureRules 2004
»	Constitution(Eighty-Ninth Amendment)Act,2003
»	Constitution (Sixty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1990

Constitutional Safeguards for STs:

I. Educational & Cultural Safeguards

Art. 15(4):- Special provisions for advancement of other backward classes (which cludes STs);

Art. 29:- Protection of Interests of Minorities (which cludes STs);

Art. 46:- “The State shall promote, with special care, the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes, and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation,”

Art. 350:- Right to conserve distinct Language, Script or Culture;

Art. 350:- Instruction in Mother Tongue.

II.Social Safeguard

Art. 23:- Prohibition of traffic in human beings and beggar and other similar form of forced labour;

Art. 24:- Forbidding Child Labour.

III. Economic Safeguards

Art.244:- Clause(1) Provisions of Fifth Schedule shall apply to the administration & control of the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in any State other than the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura which are covered under Sixth Schedule, under Clause (2) of this Article.

Art. 275:- Grants in-Aid to specified States (STs&SAs) covered under Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the Constitution.

IV. Political Safeguards

Art.164(1):- Provides for Tribal Affairs Ministers in Bihar, MP and Orissa;

Art. 330:- Reservation of seats for STs in Lok Sabha;

Art. 337- Reservation of seats for STs in State Legislatures;

Art. 334:- 10 years period for reservation (Amended several times to extend the period.);

Art. 243:- Reservation of seats in Panchayats.

Art. 371:- Special provisions in respect of NE States and Sikkim

V. Service Safeguards

(Under Art.16(4),16(4A),164(B) Art.335, and Art. 320(40)


Organizational Setup:

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes functions from its Headquarters at New Delhi and from the Regional Offices of the Commission located in six States.

There are following six Units at the Hqrs.:

1. Administration

2. Coordination Unit

3. Research Unit-I

4. Research Unit - II

5. Research Unit-III

6. Research Unit-IV

The main functional units are Research Unit-I, Research Unit-II, Research Unit-III, Research Unit-IV, which deal with all matters pertaining to socio-economic and educational development, service safeguards and atrocities in relation to STs as per distribution of the Ministries/ Departments (including CPSEs and other Organisation/ Offices under their administrative control) and the States and UTs among these four Research Units.

There are 6 Regional offices of the National Commission for Scheduled tribes which work as ‘eyes and ears’ of the Commission. They keep a watch on the formulation of policy and issue of guidelines relating to the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in the States/UTs and keep the Commission’s Headquarters informed about the developments periodically. Policy decisions taken by any State Government/UT Administration affecting the interests of the Scheduled Tribes are brought to the notice of the concerned authorities for necessary action.

NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR BACKWARD CLASSES

Pursuant to the direction of the Supreme Court in the Mandal case judgement, the Government of India enacted the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 (Act No. 27 of 1993) (Database Searching) for setting up a National Commission for Backward Classes at the Centre as a permanent body.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS:

The Supreme Court of India in its Judgement dated 16.11.1992 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 930 of 1990 – Indira Sawhney & Ors. Vs. Union of India and Ors. - directed the Govt. of India, State Govts. and UT Administrations to constitute a permanent body in the nature of a Commission or Tribunal for entertaining, examining and recommending upon requests for inclusion and complaints of over-inclusion and under-inclusion in the list of OBCs.

In pursuance of the direction of the Supreme Court, the Govt. of India enacted the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 (Act No. 27 of 1993) and set up a National Commission for Backward Classes at the Centre.

Article 340 of the Constitution provides for the appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of and the difficulties faced by the socially and educationally backward classes and to make appropriate recommendations .The article reads as under :-

“ 340. Appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes - (1) The President may by order appoint a Commission consisting of such persons as he thinks fit to investigate the conditions of the socially and educationally backward classes within the territory of India and the difficulties under which they labour and to make recommendations as to the steps that should be taken by the Union or any State to remove such difficulties and to improve their condition and as to the grants that should be made for the purpose by the Union or any state and the conditions subject to which such grants should be made, and the order appointing such commission shall define the procedure to be followed by the Commission.

(2) A Commission so appointed shall investigate the matters referred to them and present to the President a report setting out the facts as found by them and make such recommendations as they think proper.

(3) The President shall cause a copy of the report so presented together with a memorandum explaining the action taken thereon to be laid before each house of Parliament. ”

FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION UNDER THE ACT

Under Section 9(1) of the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 the Commission shall examine requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class in the Central List of Backward Classes and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in the lists and tender such advice to the Central Government as it deems appropriate.

Under Section 9(2) of the Act, "The advice of the Commission shall ordinarily be binding upon the Central Government".

Under Section 11(1) of the Act, the Central Government may at any time, and shall, at the expiration of ten years from the coming into force of this Act and every succeeding period of ten years thereafter, undertake revision of the lists with a view to excluding from such lists those classes who have ceased to be backward classes or for including in such lists new backward classes.

Under Section 11(2) of the Act, the Central Government shall, while undertaking any revision referred to in sub-section (1) consult the Commission.

The Composition and tenure of the Commissions are as under :

A. from 1993 - 1996
1.	Chairperson	Justice (Retd.) R.N. Prasad	From 23.8.93 to 22.8.96
2.	Member-Secretary	Shri P.S. Krishnan	From 15.8.93 to 14.8.96
3.	Member	Dr. Dhirubhai L. Seth	From 23.8.93 to 22.8.96
4.	Member	Dr. Dinesh Singh Yadav	From 18.8.93 to 17.8.96
5.	Member	Dr. R. Prasannan	From 05.9.93 to 04.8.96

B. from 1997 - 2000
1.	Chairperson	Justice (Retd.) Shyam Sunder	From 07.4.97 to 06.4.2000
2.	Member-Secretary	Shri P.S. Krishnan	From 27.2.97 to 28.2.2000
3.	Member	Shri Akshay Bhai Sahu	From 05.3.97 to 04.3.2000
4.	Member	Prof. Uday Pratap Singh	From 05.3.97 to 04.3.2000
5.	Member	Shri Navtej Singh Puadhi	From 05.3.97 to 16.8.98
6.	Member	Shri M.S. Matharoo	From 14.7.99 to 13.7.2002

C. from 2000-2003
1.	Chairperson	Justice (Retd.)B.L. Yadav	From 21.8. 2000 - 24.3.2002
2.	Chairperson	Justice (Retd.)Ram Surat Singh	From 13.8.2002 to 12.8.2005
3.	Member-Secretary	Shri C.T. Benjamin	From 01.8.2000 to 31.7.2003
4.	Member	Shri M.S. Matharoo	From 14.7.99 to 13.7.2002
5.	Member	Dr. B.M. Das	From 28.8.2000 to 27.8.2003
6.	Member	Smt. Neera Shastri	From 03.8.2000 to 02.8.2003

D. from 2003-2005
1.	Chairperson	Justice (Retd.)Ram Surat Singh	From 13.8.2002 to 12.8.2005
2.	Member	Shri M.S. Matharoo	From 19.08.2002 to 18.8.2005
3.	Member	Smt. Neera Shastri	From 29.9.2003 to 28.9.2006
4.	Member	Dr. B. Babu Rao Varma	From 06.10.2003 to 05.10.2006
5.	Secretary	Smt. Chitra chopra	From 04.8.2003 to 30.07.2004
6.	Member-Secretary	Shri S.K. Purkayastha	From 09.08.2004 to 08.8.2007

E. 2005-2006
1.	Chairperson	Justice (Retd.) S. Ratnavel Pandian	From 14.08.2006 to 30-05-2010
2.	Member-Secretary	Shri S.K. Purkayastha	From 09.08.2004 to 08.8.2007
3.	Member	Smt. Neera Shastri	From 29.9.2003 to 28.9.2006
4.	Member	Dr. B. Babu Rao Verma	From 6.10.2003 to 05.1.2006
5.	Member	Shri. Yogeshwar Prasad yogesh	From 10.03.2006 to 31.5.2007

F. (Existing)
1.	Chairperson	Justice (Retd.) M. Narayana Rao	From 31-05-2010 onwards
2.	Member-Secretary	Smt. Chitra Chopra	(11.11.2008 onwards)
3.	Member	Dr. Subba Somu	(28.03.2007 onwards)
4.	Member	Shri Ram Awadhesh Singh	(08-06-2007 onwards)
5.	Member	Shri. Abdul Ali Azizi	(15-10-2007 onwards)

CHILD LABOUR

Initiatives towards Elimination of Child Labour – Action Plan and Present Strategy

The problem of child labour continues to pose a challenge before the nation. Government has been taking various pro-active measures to tackle this problem. However, considering the magnitude and extent of the problem and that it is essentially a socio-economic problem inextricably linked to poverty and illiteracy, it requires concerted efforts from all sections of the society to make a dent in the problem.

Way back in 1979, Government formed the first committee called Gurupadswamy Committee to study the issue of child labour and to suggest measures to tackle it. The Committee examined the problem in detail and made some far-reaching recommendations. It observed that as long as poverty continued, it would be difficult to totally eliminate child labour and hence, any attempt to abolish it through legal recourse would not be a practical proposition. The Committee felt that in the circumstances, the only alternative left was to ban child labour in hazardous areas and to regulate and ameliorate the conditions of work in other areas. It recommended that a multiple policy approach was required in dealing with the problems of working children.

Based on the recommendations of Gurupadaswamy Committee, the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act was enacted in 1986. The Act prohibits employment of children in certain specified hazardous occupations and processes and regulates the working conditions in others. The list of hazardous occupations and processes is progressively being expanded on the recommendation of Child Labour Technical Advisory Committee constituted under the Act.

In consonance with the above approach, a National Policy on Child Labour was formulated in 1987. The Policy seeks to adopt a gradual & sequential approach with a focus on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations & processes in the first instance. The Action Plan outlined in the Policy for tackling this problem is as follows:

• Legislative Action Plan for strict enforcement of Child Labour Act and other labour laws to ensure that children are not employed in hazardous employments, and that the working conditions of children working in non-hazardous areas are regulated in accordance with the provisions of the Child Labour Act. It also entails further identification of additional occupations and processes, which are detrimental to the health and safety of the children.
  

• Focusing of General Developmental Programmes for Benefiting Child Labour - As poverty is the root cause of child labour, the action plan emphasizes the need to cover these children and their families also under various poverty alleviation and employment generation schemes of the Government.
  

• Project Based Plan of Action envisages starting of projects in areas of high concentration of child labour. Pursuant to this, in 1988, the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme was launched in 9 districts of high child labour endemicity in the country. The Scheme envisages running of special schools for child labour withdrawn from work. In the special schools, these children are provided formal/non-formal education along with vocational training, a stipend of Rs.100 per month, supplementary nutrition and regular health check ups so as to prepare them to join regular mainstream schools. Under the Scheme, funds are given to the District Collectors for running special schools for child labour. Most of these schools are run by the NGOs in the district.

Government has accordingly been taking proactive steps to tackle this problem through strict enforcement of legislative provisions along with simultaneous rehabilitative measures. State Governments, which are the appropriate implementing authorities, have been conducting regular inspections and raids to detect cases of violations. Since poverty is the root cause of this problem, and enforcement alone cannot help solve it, Government has been laying a lot of emphasis on the rehabilitation of these children and on improving the economic conditions of their families.

The coverage of the NCLP Scheme has increased from 12 districts in 1988 to 100 districts in the 9^th Plan to 250 districts during the 10^th Plan.

Strategy for the elimination of child labour under the 10^th Plan:

An evaluation of the Scheme was carried out by independent agencies in coordination with V. V. Giri National Labour Institute in 2001. Based on the recommendations of the evaluation and experience of implementing the scheme since 1988, the strategy for implementing the scheme during the 10^th Plan was devised. It aimed at greater convergence with the other developmental schemes and bringing qualitative changes in the Scheme. Some of the salient points of the 10^th Plan Strategy are as follows:

• Focused and reinforced action to eliminate child labour in the hazardous occupations by the end of the Plan period.

• Expansion of National Child Labour Projects to additional 150 districts.

• Linking the child labour elimination efforts with the Scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of Ministry of Human Resource Development to ensure that children in the age group of 5-8 years get directly admitted to regular schools and that the older working children are mainstreamed to the formal education system through special schools functioning under the NCLP Scheme.

• Convergence with other Schemes of the Departments of Education, Rural Development, Health and Women and Child Development for the ultimate attainment of the objective in a time bound manner.

The Government and the Ministry of Labour & Employment in particular, are rather serious in their efforts to fight and succeed in this direction. The number of districts covered under the NCLP Scheme has been increased from 100 to 250, as mentioned above in this note. In addition, 21 districts have been covered under INDUS, a similar Scheme for rehabilitation of child labour in cooperation with US Department of Labour. Implementation of this Project was recently reviewed during the visit of Mr. Steven Law, Deputy Secretary of State, from the USA. For the Districts not covered under these two Schemes, Government is also providing funds directly to the NGOs under the Ministry’s Grants-in-aid Scheme for running Special Schools for rehabilitation of child labour, thereby providing for a greater role and cooperation of the civil society in combating this menace.

Elimination of child labour is the single largest programme in this Ministry’s activities. Apart from a major increase in the number of districts covered under the scheme, the priority of the Government in this direction is evident in the quantum jump in budgetary allocation during the 10^th Plan. Government has allocated Rs. 602 crores for the Scheme during the 10^th Plan, as against an expenditure of Rs. 178 crores in the 9^th Plan. The resources set aside for combating this evil in the Ministry is around 50 per cent of its total annual budget.

The implementation of NCLP and INDUS Schemes is being closely monitored through periodical reports, frequent visits and meetings with the District and State Government officials. The Government’s commitment to achieve tangible results in this direction in a time bound manner is also evident from the fact that in the recent Regional Level Conferences of District Collectors held in Hyderabad, Pune, Mussoorie and Kolkata district-wise review of the Scheme was conducted at the level of Secretary. These Conferences provided an excellent opportunity to have one-to-one interaction with the Collectors, who play a pivotal role in the implementation of these Schemes in the District. Besides, these Conferences also helped in a big way in early operationalisation of Scheme in the newly selected 150 districts.

The Government is committed to eliminate child labour in all its forms and is moving in this direction in a targeted manner. The multipronged strategy being followed by the Government to achieve this objective also found its echo during the recent discussions held in the Parliament on the Private Member’s Bill tabled by Shri Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi. It was unanimously recognized therein that the problem of child labour, being inextricably linked with poverty and illiteracy, cannot be solved by legislation alone, and that a holistic, multipronged and concerted effort to tackle this problem will bring in the desired results.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS:

Article 21 A

Right to Education

The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years in such manner as the State, by law, may determine.

Article 24

Prohibition of employment of children in factories, etc.

No child below the age fourteen years shall be employed in work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment.

Article 39

The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing:-

(e) that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength.

Legislative Provisions Prohibiting and Regulating Employment of Children:

Ø As per the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 “child” means a person who has not completed is 14^th year of age.

Ø The Act prohibits employment of children in 13 occupations and 57 processes contained in Part A & B of the Schedule to the Act (Section 3).

Ø Under the Act, a Technical Advisory Committee is constituted to advice for inclusion of further occupations & processes in the Schedule.

Ø The Act regulates the condition of employment's in all occupations and processes not prohibited under the Act (Part III).

Ø Any person who employs any child in contravention of the provisions of section 3 of the Act is liable for punishment with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to one year or with fine which shall not be less than Rs 10,000 but which may extend to Rs 20,000 or both. ((Section 14).

Ø The Central and the State Governments enforce the provisions of the Act in their respective spheres.

THE CHILD LABOUR (PROHIBITION AND REGUALTION) ACT, 1986 AND RULES

(Act No. 61 of 1986)

Be it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:

Social and beneficial legislation – Social legislation is designed to protect the interest of a class of society who, because of their economic conditions, deserves such protection. With a view to pass the test of reasonable classification there must exist intelligible differentia between persons or thing grouped together from those who have been left out and there must by a reasonable nexus with the object to be achieved by the legislation.

The Court must strive to so interpret the statute as to protect and advance the object and purpose of enactment. Any narrow or technical interpretation of the provisions would defeat the legislative policy. The Court must, therefore, keep the legislative policy in mind in applying the provisions of the Act to the facts of the case.

WOMEN LABOUR

1. Women Labour Cell:

A separate Cell for women labour which was set up in 1975, is functioning in the Ministry to pay special attention to the problems of women labour. The Cell is responsible for the following task:
(i) Coordinating effort in respect of Women labour within the policy framework on women drawn by Ministry of Women and Child Development – the Nodal department on the issue.
(ii) Work in conjunction with Ministry of Women and Child Development and provide useful inputs on women workforce for effective formulation of Programmes and Policies on the subject.
(iii) Implementation of the Equal Remuneration Act, i.e., its extension to various employments/Industries and examination of the difficulties, if any, pointed out by the units/Industries.
(iv) Setting up of Advisory Committee for promotion of employment of women under the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 and providing secretariat assistance to the Committee.
(v) Follow up action on the Supreme Court Judgement in the matter of prevention of sexual harassment of women at their work place and periodical reviews of the initiatives taken in the matter in consultation with related agencies viz. National Commission for Women, Ministry of Women and Child Development, National Labour Institute, etc.
(vi) The Cell is also administering a grants-in-aid Scheme for providing financial assistance to organization (voluntary and non-government) for taking up action programmes/projects for the benefit of women labour.

2. Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

Enforcement of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 :
The implementation of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 is done at two levels.
Central Sphere: The Act is being implemented by the Central Government in relation to any employment carried on by or under the authority of the Central Government or a railway administration, or in relation to a banking company, a mine, oil field or major port or any corporation established by or under a Central Act.

In the Central sphere, the enforcement of Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 is entrusted to the Chief Labour Commissioner ( Central ) who heads the Central Industrial Relations Machinery (CIRM). The Central Government has appointed Labour Enforcement Officers as Inspectors for the purpose of making investigation by causing production of relevant registers/records as to whether the provisions of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 are being complied with by the employers, who are required to maintain the roll of employee in Form-D. Assistant Labour Commissioners have been appointed as authorities for the purpose of hearing and deciding complaints with regard to the contravention of any provision of the Act, claims arising out of non payment of wages at equal rate to men and women workers. The Regional Labour Commissioners have been appointed as appellate authorities to hear complaints in respect of cases decided by the ALCs.

State Sphere: In respect of all employments other than those where the Central Government is the appropriate Government, the implementation rests with the State Governments.
In the case of employments where the State Government are appropriate authorities, the enforcement of the provisions of the E.R.Act, 1976 is done by the officials of the State Labour Department. The Central Government monitors the implementation of the provisions of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 by the State Governments.

Central/State Advisory Committee

A Central Advisory Committee has been set up at the Centre under the Act to advise the Government on providing increasing employment opportunities for women and generally reviewing the steps taken for effective implementation of the Act.

3. Grants-in-aid Scheme:

The Ministry is running a Grant-in-aid Scheme for the welfare of women labour. This Scheme, which has been continuing since Sixth Five Year Plan (1981-82), is administered through voluntary organizations by giving grant-in-aid to them for the following purposes:
(i) Organizing working women and educating them about their rights/duties. Legal aid to working women.
(ii) Seminars, workshops, etc. aiming at raising the general consciousness of the society about the problems of women labour.
As per the provisions of the Scheme, grants-in-aid is being provided as 75% of the total cost of the project. However, the projects relating to studies entrusted to various institutes are funded in full, i.e., 100%.
However, it has been decided that since income generation activities are better covered through schemes formulated by the Ministries of Rural Development, HRD, etc. in order to avoid duplication, we should concentrate on the projects related to creation of awareness generation among women labour/workers so that they may be educated about their rights, the number of schemes, programmes, etc. related to them being launched by various Central/State Agencies.

4. Supreme Court Guidelines on Sexual Harassment of Women Workers:

The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, in the case of writ petition No.666-70 of 1992 filed by Vishaka & Ors.Vs State of Rajasthan & Ors. has laid down certain guidelines for the prevention of sexual harassment of women employees in their work places. The Guidelines have the force of law under Article 141 of the Constitution of India. The guidelines provide a definition as to what constitutes sexual harassment and further provides for establishment of a mechanism for redressal of complaints.
 Pursuant to the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, The Ministry of Labour wrote to all the Central Ministries/Departments, the State Govts./U.Ts and CPSUs to implement the guidelines contained in the judgment in letter and spirit. The All India Services to the effect that sexual harassment at the work place constitutes a misconduct for which a Government Servant is liable for disciplinary action.
 The Deptt. of Personal and Training has amended the Central Civil Services (Contact) Rules, 1964 to the effect that sexual harassment at the work place constitutes a misconduct for which a Government Servant is liable for disciplinary action.
 The Ministry of Labour and Employment has constituted a committee to deal with sexual harassment complaints by employees of Main Secretariat of the Ministry and Subordinate Offices of Directorate General of Employment & Training and Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) and similar committee has been constituted in the V.V.Giri National Labour Institiute (NLI), Noida.

POSTPONEMENT OF GROUP-1 EXAM

POSTPONEMENT OF GROUP-1 PRELIMINARY EXAM

It is hereby informed that the group-1 exam scheduled to be held w.e.f. 25-07-2010 is postponed to 29-08-2010.

Launch of CARTOSAT-2B, ALSAT-2A, AISSAT-1, TISAT-1 and STUDSAT by PSLV-C15

Background

In its seventeenth flight (PSLV-C15), ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle will launch five satellites – the 694 kg Indian remote sensing
satellite CARTOSAT-2B, which is its main payload, and the 116 kg
ALSAT-2A of Algeria, 6.5 kg NLS-6.1 AISSAT-1 of Canada, NLS-6.2 TISAT
of Switzerland and STUDSAT, a picosatellite weighing less than 1 kg built
by a consortium of seven Engineering colleges in Bangalore and
Hyderabad – into a 630 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
PSLV-C15 will be launched from the first Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan
Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, in the Nellore district of Andhra
Pradesh.

About PSLV:

PSLV was initially designed by ISRO to place 1,000 kg class Indian
Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into 900 km polar Sun Synchronous
Orbits. Since its first successful flight in October 1994, the capability of
PSLV was successively enhanced from 850 kg to 1,750 kg. In its
previous flight (sixteenth) on September 23, 2009, PSLV launched India’s
960 kg remote sensing satellite Oceansat-2 and six nanosatellites from
abroad into a 728 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit.
The improvement in the capability of PSLV over successive flights has
been achieved through several means. They include increased propellant
loading in the stage motors and the strap-ons, employing composite
material for the satellite mounting structure and changing the sequence
of firing of the strap-on motors.
In its standard configuration, the 44.4 metre tall 295 ton PSLV has four
stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first
stage, carrying 138 ton of propellant, is one of the largest solid propellant
boosters in the world. Six solid propellant strap-on motors, each carrying
nine tonne of solid propellant, are strapped on to the core stage. The
second stage carries 41 ton of liquid propellant. The third stage uses
7.6 tonne of solid propellant and the fourth has a twin-engine
configuration with 2.5 ton of liquid propellant.
The 3.2 metre diameter bulbous payload fairing of PSLV protects the
satellites carried onboard and it is discarded after the vehicle has cleared
the dense atmosphere. PSLV employs a large number of auxiliary
systems for stage separation, payload fairing separation and so on. It has
sophisticated systems to control the vehicle and guide it through the
predetermined trajectory. The vehicle performance is monitored through
telemetry and tracking.
With fifteen consecutively successful flights so far, PSLV has repeatedly
proved itself as a reliable workhorse. It has demonstrated multiple
satellite launch capability having launched 22 satellites for international
customers besides 17 Indian satellites of which twelve were remote
sensing satellites, a recoverable capsule (SRE-1), two small satellites for
HAM radio communications and experimental communications, one
meteorological (weather watching) satellite (KALPANA-1) and the
spacecraft for India’s first mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-1. PSLV has
launched satellites into a variety of orbits, including polar Sun
Synchronous, Low Earth, Highly Elliptical and Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbits.
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, designed
and developed PSLV. The ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at
Thiruvananthapuram developed the inertial systems for the vehicle. The
Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), also at Thiruvananthapuram,
developed the liquid propulsion stages for the second and fourth stages
of PSLV as well as reaction control systems. SDSC SHAR processed the
solid motors and carried out launch operations. ISRO Telemetry,
Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) provides telemetry, tracking
and command support during PSLV’s flight.

PSLV-C15:

PSLV-C15 employs the ‘Core Alone’ version of PSLV, which is almost the
same as its standard configuration except for the absence of the six
strap-ons (which surround the first stage of PSLV in the standard
configuration and enhance its payload capability). PSLV-C15 is the sixth
flight of the ‘core alone’ version of PSLV. One important modification in
PSLV-C15 compared to the previous flight is the use of a Dual Launch
Adopter (DLA) to carry two large satellites.

CARTOSAT-2B:

The 694 kg CARTOSAT-2B is a state-of-the art remote sensing satellite
and the seventeenth remote sensing satellite of India. Data from the
satellite will find applications in cartography at cadastral level, urban
and rural infrastructure development and management, as well as Land
Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS).
The satellite will be placed in a 630 km high polar Sun Synchronous
Orbit.

CARTOSAT-2B carries a state-of-the-art Panchromatic camera (PAN) that
takes black-and-white pictures in the visible region of the
electromagnetic spectrum. The imagery will have a spatial resolution of
0.8 metre. The camera covers a swath (geographical strip of land) which
is 9.6 km wide. The highly agile CARTOSAT-2B is steerable up to
± 26 degrees along as well as across the direction of its movement to
facilitate imaging of any area more frequently. The satellite also carries a
Solid State Recorder with a capacity of 64 Giga Bits to store the images
taken by its camera. These images can later be transmitted when the
satellite comes within the visibility of a ground station.
Soon after its injection into orbit and separation from PSLV-C15 fourth
stage, the two solar panels of CARTOSAT-2B will be automatically
deployed. The satellite’s health will be continuously monitored from the
Spacecraft Control Centre at Bangalore with the help of ISTRAC network
of ground stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Biak in Indonesia,
Svalbard in Norway and Troll in Antarctica.
With ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore, as the lead Centre,
CARTOSAT-2B was realised with major contributions from Space
Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, Liquid Propulsion Systems
Centre (LPSC) at Bangalore, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU),
Thiruvananthapuram and Laboratory for Electro Optic Sensors (LEOS),
Bangalore. ISTRAC is responsible for initial and in-orbit operation of
CARTOSAT-2B. The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) receives,
processes and distributes the data from IRS satellites to various users.
The imagery from IRS satellites are disseminated worldwide on a
commercial basis through Antrix Corporation of DOS.

Salient Features:

Orbit : Circular Polar Sun Synchronous
Orbit height : 630 km
Orbit inclination : 97.91 deg
Orbit period : 97.44 min
Number of Orbits per day : 14
Local Time of Equator Crossing: 9.30 AM
Revisit : 4-5 days
Lift-off Mass : 694 kg
Attitude and Orbit Control : 3-axis stabilised using high torque
Reaction Wheels, Magnetic
Torquers and Hydrazine
Thrusters
Electrical Power : 930 W
Two 18 Ah Ni-Cd batteries
Payload : PAN Camera
PAN Specifications:
Swath : 9.6 km
Spatial Resolution : 0.8 metre
Spectral Band : 0.50-0.75 micron

Applications:

The multiple spot scene imagery sent by CARTOSAT-2B's PAN will be
useful for village level/cadastral level resource assessment and mapping,
detailed urban and infrastructure planning and development,
transportation system planning, preparation of large-scale cartographic
maps, preparation of micro watershed development plans and monitoring
of developmental works at village/cadastral level.
Besides, CARTOSAT-2B's imagery can be used for the preparation of
detailed forest type maps, tree volume estimation, village/cadastral level
crop inventory, town/village settlement mapping and planning for
comprehensive development, canal alignment, rural connectivity
assessment, planning new rural roads and monitoring their construction,
coastal landform/land use and coral/mangrove mapping and monitoring
of mining activities.

Indian Remote Sensing Satellite System:

India has established the National Natural Resources Management
System (NNRMS) for which the Department of Space (DOS) is the nodal
agency. NNRMS is an integrated resource management system aimed at
optimal utilisation of the country’s natural resources by a proper and
systematic inventory of resource availability using remote sensing data in
conjunction with conventional techniques. The major elements of NNRMS
encompass conceptualisation and implementation of space segments
with the necessary ground-based data reception, processing and
interpretation systems and integrating the satellite-based remotely
sensed data with conventional data for resource management
applications.
The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites form an important element of
the NNRMS for providing continuous remote sensing data services for the
management of natural resources of the country. A series of IRS
satellites have been launched by India starting with IRS-1A in March
1988. Nine remote sensing satellites of India are in service at
present – IRS-P4 (OCEANSAT-1), TES, RESOURCESAT-1, CARTOSAT-1,
CARTOSAT-2, CARTOSAT-2A, IMS-1, RISAT-2 and OCEANSAT-2 –
making IRS system the largest civilian remote sensing satellite
constellation in the world. CARTOSAT-2B is the latest satellite under the
IRS programme.
The follow-on satellites in the IRS series include RESOURCESAT-2
carrying an improved LISS-4 as well as LISS-3 and AWiFS cameras and
Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) incorporating a C-band Synthetic
Aperture Radar (SAR) that has imaging capability even under cloudy
conditions, both during day and night.
The data from IRS is being utilised for several applications. They include
landuse/cover mapping for agro-climatic zones planning, wasteland
mapping, forest cover mapping, wetland mapping, Crop Acreage and
Production Estimation, Coastal Zone Regulation mapping, Identification
of Potential Fishing Zones, Integrated Mission for Sustainable
Development, National (Natural) Resources Information System, etc. In
addition, different application studies of local/regional level are also
being carried out by many organisations. With high-resolution imageries
of CARTOSAT-2B, cadastral level applications will receive further
impetus.

Auxiliary Payloads of PSLV-C15:

Besides its main payload CARTOSAT-2B weighing 694 kg, PSLV-C15 will
also carry four small satellites as auxiliary payloads. Of these, the
116 kg ALSAT-2A of Algeria is a small remote sensing satellite, whereas
two Nanosats – NLS-6.1 AISSAT-1 weighing 6.5 kg and built by Space
Flight Laboratory of the University of Toronto, Canada and NLS-6.2
TISAT-1 weighing one kg and built by University of Applied Sciences of
Switzerland – are for testing various satellite technologies. The fourth
auxiliary payload – STUDSAT – is a Picosatellite weighing less than one
kg and built jointly by students from a consortium of seven engineering
colleges in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The consortium of Project STUDSAT is represented by Nitte Meenakshi
Institute of Technology. The other institutions are: BMS Institute of
Technology (BMSIT), Bangalore, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of
Technology (CBIT), Hyderabad, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering
(IARE), Hyderabad, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT),
Bangalore, RV College of Engineering (RVCE), Bangalore and Vignan
Institute of Technology & Science (VITS), Hyderabad. STUDSAT is the
first picosatellite developed in the country.
Weighing about 650 gm, STUDSAT has the primary objective of
promoting space technology in educational institutions and encourage
research and development in miniaturised satellites, establishing a
communication link between the satellite and the ground station,
capturing the images of earth with a resolution of 90 meters and
transmitting the payload and telemetry data to the earth stations.

Remote Sensing Satellites of India

Sl No Satellite Launch Date Launch Vehicle Remarks
1. IRS-1A Mar 17, 1988 Vostok(USSR) Missioncompleted
2. IRS-1B Aug 29, 1991 Vostok (USSR) Missioncompleted
3. IRS-1E Sep 20, 1993 PSLV-D1 Could not be
placed in orbit
4. IRS-P2 Oct 15, 1994 PSLV-D2 Missioncompleted
5. IRS-1C Dec 28, 1995 Molniya(Russia) MissionCompleted
6. IRS-P3 Mar 21, 1996 PSLV-D3 Missioncompleted
7. IRS-1D Sep 29, 1997 PSLV-C1 MissionCompleted
8. OCEANSAT-1 May 26, 1999 PSLV-C2 In service
9. TES Oct 22, 2001 PSLV-C3 In service
10 RESOURCESAT-1 Oct 17, 2003 PSLV-C5 In service
11 CARTOSAT-1 May 5, 2005 PSLV-C6 In service
12 CARTOSAT-2 January 10, 2007 PSLV-C7 In service
13 CARTOSAT-2A April 28, 2008 PSLV-C9 In service
14 IMS-1 April 28, 2008 PSLV-C9 In service
15 RISAT-2 April 20, 2009 PSLV-C12 In service
16 OCEANSAT-2 Sept 23, 2009 PSLV-C14 In service

Launches from India
Vehicle Launch Dates Result
1. SLV-3 E1 Aug 10, 1979 Unsuccessful
2. SLV-3 E2 Jul 18, 1980 Successful
3. SLV-3 D1 May 31, 1981 Successful
4. SLV-3 D2 Apr 17, 1983 Successful
5. ASLV-D1 Mar 24, 1987 Unsuccessful
6. ASLV-D2 Jul 13, 1988 Unsuccessful
7. ASLV-D3 May 20, 1992 Successful
8. PSLV-D1 Sep 20, 1993 Unsuccessful
9. ASLV-D4 May 4, 1994 Successful
10. PSLV-D2 Oct 15, 1994 Successful
11. PSLV-D3 Mar 21, 1996 Successful
12. PSLV-C1 Sep 29, 1997 Successful
13. PSLV-C2 May 26, 1999 Successful
14. GSLV-D1 Apr 18, 2001 Successful
15. PSLV-C3 Oct 22, 2001 Successful
16. PSLV-C4 Sep 12, 2002 Successful
17. GSLV-D2 May 8, 2003 Successful
18. PSLV-C5 Oct 17, 2003 Successful
19. GSLV-F01 Sep 20, 2004 Successful
20. PSLV-C6 May 5, 2005 Successful
21. GSLV-F02 July 10, 2006 Unsuccessful
22. PSLV-C7 January 10, 2007 Successful
23. PSLV-C8 April 23, 2007 Successful
24. GSLV-F04 September 2, 2007 Successful
25. PSLV-C10 January 21, 2008 Successful
26. PSLV-C9 April 28, 2008 Successful
27. PSLV-C11 October 22, 2008 Successful
28. PSLV-C12 April 20, 2009 Successful
29. PSLV-C14 September 23, 2009 Successful
30. GSLV-D3 April 15, 2010 Unsuccessful