Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel, a top scientist of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and project director of moon mission Chandrayaan-3, has made a donation ₹25 lakh – an amount equal to his two years’ salary – received as prize money.
“My conscience did not allow me to accept this large amount of prize money, therefore donation was the best option,” NDTV quoted Veeramuthuvel.
The amount was awarded to him by the Tamil Nadu government as a token of appreciation for his efforts in successfully landing the rover on the lunar surface. The same reward was also awarded to eight members of his core team.
Despite bearing the burden of a ₹With a mortgage of Rs 72 lakh, Veeramuthuvel decided to donate the amount to the institutions that molded him into a scientist. He therefore donated the amount to the alumni associations of Elumalai Polytechnic College, West Tambaram, Chennai; National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirapalli; Sri Sairam Engineering College and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai.
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Veeramuthuvel, a son of a railway engineer, said the success of Chandrayaan-3 was “more about us and less about me”.
“I come from a poor family and studied at a government railway school in Villupuram, but still money doesn’t mean much to me. ISRO gives us a rich environment to contribute to national development and that gives us the most satisfaction,” he said Reportedly.
The scientist also noted that he has been working continuously for the Chandrayaan-3 mission for the past four years and has “not taken a single vacation or vacation” during that period.
The moon mission made India the fourth country, after the US, the former Soviet Union and China, to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. The successful landing on the lunar surface was captured on August 23.
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Updated: Nov 11, 2023 4:59 PM IST