Persons in News: Eknath Vasant Chitnis
Context:
Professor Eknath Vasant Chitnis, a veteran space scientist and one of the pioneers of India's space programme, recently passed away in Pune at the age of 100
Key Contributions to Space & ISRO
He was handpicked by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and he was known as his "right-hand man".
He played a key role in the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) (the precursor to ISRO.)
He led the team that scouted for India's first launchpads.
They ultimately selected Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram and later Sriharikota along the coast of Andhra Pradesh.
His most significant contribution was directing the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) in 1975-76.
SITE was a groundbreaking mass communication project that used NASA's ATS-6 satellite to broadcast educational programmes to 2,400 villages across six Indian states
This experiment is credited with laying the groundwork for India's digital revolution
He retired as the Director of the Space Application Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad in the mid-1980s.
Other Notable Facts:
Awards:
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1985.
His son, Prof. Chetan Chitnis, received a Padma Shri in 2024, making them a rare father-son Padma awardee duo.
He served on the Board of Directors of the Press Trust of India (PTI) from 1983 to 2010, twice serving as its chairman.