Hyderabad: This year, India witnessed several new beginnings, achieved milestones and bid farewell to a few of its beloved political leaders.
As 2019 ends, we bring to you a recap of your favourite moments which are worth revisiting.
The milestones we achieved
Indian-origin Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee along with Esther Duflo and Harvard University's Michael Kremer won the 2019 Nobel Prize in economics for groundbreaking research for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty". Abhijit Banerjee was educated at the University of Calcutta, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D in 1988. He is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
2. ISRO launches Chandrayaan 2
Chandrayaan-2 is a follow up of the Chandrayaan-1, the mission had completely used home-grown technology. Chandrayaan-2 consisting of the lander, 'Vikram' and a rover 'Pragyaan' housed inside it was scheduled for a powered-descent onto the moon surface. However, the attempt failed when engineers lost contact with the 'Vikram' lander.
3. Rafale Induction
The Indian Air Force received its first of the 36 long-awaited Rafale fighter jets in October. The first batch of four jets will come in May 2020. India had signed an agreement with France for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of Rs. 59,000 crore in September 2016.
4. Night trial of Agni II
India in November successfully conducted the first night trial of nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile Agni-II from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The 20-metre-long, two-stage ballistic missile has a strike range of 2,000 km. It has a launch weight of 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1,000 kg.
The ones who left
Sushma Swaraj 14/02/1952-06/08/2019
The demise of one of country's beloved external affairs ministers made it to the top headlines on one August morning. Other than being a strong political leader, she was well known for her empathetic as well as firm approach towards issues. A seven-time MP, she was also the youngest cabinet minister of Haryana in 1977.
Manohar Parikkar 13/12/1955-17/03/2019
The former Chief Minister of Goa breathed his last in March this year. He was the Union Defence minister from 2014 to 2017 in the NDA government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Parrikar died due to pancreatic cancer during his CM tenure.
Sheila Dikshit 31/03/1938-20/07/2019
A three-time Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit passed away in July suffering from a cardiac arrest. Dikshit was the longest serving chief minister of Delhi, having headed the state government for 15 years from 1998 to 2013. Sheila Dikshit was serving as the Delhi Congress chief, a charge she took over in January this year before Lok Sabha polls.
Arun Jaitley 28/12/1952-24/08/2019
One of BJP's tallest leaders, the former finance minister Arun Jaitley breathed his last in August. Jaitley held many portfolios in his tenure since 1991. He was also appointed as the MoS Information and Broadcasting during the Vajpayee government. He was also a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India. A diabetes patient, Jaitley was hospitalised and died after a prolonged illness.
Ram Jethmalani 14/09/1923-08/09/2019
A noted lawyer and a former Union minister, Ram Jethmalani breathed his last in the month of September. He was 95. Although he served in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Jethmalani never stepped back in politics.
TN Sheshan 15/12/1932-10/11/2019
The man who ensured 'fair and square' elections, TN Sheshan died in November. Although, not a politician, he played a major role in the country's politics. It is said that Sheshan as the Chief Election Commissioner had brought immense changes in the Indian electoral system through strict implementation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
