The Department of Space is working to ensure the safety and security of every Indian citizen, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairman V. Narayanan said in the city on Thursday.

India has an 11,500km shoreline, and the northern border has to be monitored, he said.

His comments came in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, followed by the heightened tension between India and Pakistan.

“The Department of Space is working along with other teams to ensure the safety and security of the citizens.... Our country has 11,500km of seashore and in the north, (there is) so much border we have to monitor... We are all safe here, there are people responsible, there are systems responsible, and we are working to ensure the safety and security of every citizen,” said Narayanan at Science City. He is also the secretary of the Department of Space.

“Right now, we have 59 satellites in orbit serving the common man of India,” he said.

On the occasion of the 253rd birth anniversary of Raja Rammohan Roy, Narayanan received the Rammohan Mission Puraskar 2025 on Thursday.

“I accept this award on behalf of 20,000 employees of the Department of Space,” Narayanan said.

Organised by Rammohan Mission and Rammohan Mission High School, a programme is held on May 22 every year.

This year, keeping in mind the Pahalgam massacre on April 22, the school decided to change the event’s inaugural song and instead had a presentation to send across a message of peace.

“A month back, on April 22, there was a massacre at Pahalgam and 26 tourists were killed... We want terrorism to end all over the world... because India is a land of peace,” said Sujoy Biswas, president of Ram Mohan Mission and principal of Rammohan Mission High School.

“Our programme is exactly a month after the attack. Instead of starting with a song, we decided that students will present Tagore’s Bharat Tirtha and send a message of peace. The students also saluted the armed forces for working for our safety in Operation Sindoor,” Biswas told The Telegraph.

Narayanan highlighted the feats of the organisation and said every mission was a learning experience.

“In Isro, we don’t consider anything a failure. Every opportunity is meant for learning, understanding and improving ourselves. Whenever there is a setback, the learning curve will go up... Whenever there is a problem, we use that as an opportunity,” he said.

He said Chandrayaan-3 was not only about landing but about discovering eight minerals, understanding electron clouds and thermal profile.

On future missions, Narayanan talked of Chandrayaan-4, which aims to bring back lunar samples to earth.

He believes India cannot progress without the participation of women, 50 per cent of the population.

“We give equal opportunities and encouragement. There are a lot of women employees (in Isro). The women are doing an outstanding job. Right now, maybe around 20 per cent of scientists are women, but it should go up to 40 per cent plus,” said Narayanan.

Swami Suparnananda, secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, told students: “You have to be unselfish.... You take this message from this institution — that your duty is to serve others, forgetting your personal needs, because Rammohan Roy preached this oneness of existence.”