India has launched the largest geostationary communications satellite

The GSAT 11 satellite of India, 5,854 kg of weight, was successfully launched from the launch complex of the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
According to the Hindustan Times, GSAT 11 is the largest and the heaviest satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It will provide communications for rural areas and inaccessible gram panchayats (self-governing bodies in India) under the BharatNet project.

The launch was carried out by Ariane-5, the European heavy launch vehicle. The most powerful launch vehicle of India, GSLV Mk III, is currently not capable of launching such satellites, since it is able to carry out the space launch of units of up to 4 tons of weight. The service life of the GSAT 11 will be 15 years.

The satellite is the third of four satellites that will provide high-speed communications — voice, data, and streaming video — in all parts of India, closing the technological gap between rural and urban areas. Two satellites, GSAT 19 and 29, have already been launched, and the fourth, GSAT 20, will be launched later next year.

For information: PANCHAYATI RAJ is the system of rural self-government bodies in India.

The lower level body - Gram Panchayat (Hindi – Village Panchayat) consists of 15-20 members, they are elected for 5 years by the village assembly and handle all the affairs of the village. The head of Gram Panchayat is also elected by the village assembly.

The intermediate level body - Panchayat Samiti (Hindi - the Panchayat Committee) is not elected, but it is appointed from among the heads of the village panchayats located in the territory of the “community development block”. The heads of the village panchayats elect the chairman of the Panchayat Samiti. The committee manages the implementation of local economic programs and distributes development funds.

The top level body - ZilaParishad (Hindi - district council) brings together the chairmen of the Panchayat Samiti located in the district, as well as members of Parliament, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council of the district. Representatives of the District Council elect a chairman from among its members. ZilaParishad is a consultative and coordinating body that oversees the activities of the Panchayat committees.

According to the 73rd amendment to the Constitution of India, adopted in 1993, it is prescribed to reserve seats in the Panchayats for representatives of the registered castes and tribes in proportion to their number in the area and at least one third of the seats for women.
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