A video of ISRO Chief S. Somanath being felicitated by RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale is being shared on social media. The claim is that the event took place at the RSS office in Bengaluru, Karnataka after the Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed on the moon. However, this is not true. The event actually took place at Rashtrotthana Parishat, a non-profit organisation in Bengaluru. Rashtrotthana Parishat is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) founded in 1965. It works towards public awareness, education, and public service.
The video of Somanath being felicitated at Rashtrotthana Parishat was posted on the organisation's website and blog. The post mentioned that Somanath was presented with a shawl by Hosabale in recognition of his leadership of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
The RSS' media wing, Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK), also shared the video on their verified Facebook page. However, the VSK post also mentioned that the event took place at Rashtrotthana Parishat and not the RSS office.
The VSK Karnataka wing also issued a clarification on Twitter, stating that the news about Somanath visiting the RSS office was not true. The wing said that the video was an old one and was taken when Somanath met students heading a project named TAPAS. TAPAS is an initiative where BPL (below the poverty line) students from underprivileged rural areas will be given free residential coaching for IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) entrance tests.
In conclusion, an old video of ISRO Chief S Somanath being felicitated by RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale at a non-profit organisation is being shared with a false claim that the event took place at the RSS office after the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The claim is false and has been debunked by the RSS and Rashtrotthana Parishat.
NGO's website carried photos of Somanath's felicitation.
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