Lok Sabha Election 2024, Phase 1: Voting on 102 seats underway
In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024, as many as 102 constituencies spanning across 21 states and Union Territories will elect their new MPs.
Issues related to national security and disaster management do not fall under the ambit of the model code of conduct, sources in the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday.
They were responding to queries on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of India’s successful demonstration of anti-satellite missile capability violated the poll code.
“The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had met. Decisions taken by it and issues such as disaster management do not fall under the model code of conduct and require no prior nod,” an EC functionary said.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India had demonstrated anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite, describing it as a rare achievement that puts the country in an exclusive club of space superpowers.
“India has registered its name as a Space Power today. Only three countries – the US, Russia and China – had this capability. India is now the fourth country that has achieved this feat. There cannot be anything bigger than this matter of pride for all Indians,” the PM said in an address to the nation.
The PM said that an indigenously-built anti-satellite (ASAT) missile successfully destroyed a target satellite in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) meaning that the country now has the ability to destroy any enemy satellite in space.
Called as Mission Shakti, the entire operation from the firing of the missile to the destruction of the target took just three minutes.
Though the message was clear to all of India’s adversaries, the PM assured the global community that the technology will not be used “against anyone”.
The PM’s message to the nation came at very short notice.
The major announcement comes just days before the nation heads to polls for the 17th Lok Sabha.
(With PTI inputs)
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