Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Apr 9: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here that the Ministry of DoNER will use Space Technology to boost the development in Northeast in a big way.
Dr Jitendra Singh was presiding over a meeting of North-Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) Society in his capacity as its President. Senior officers and Resident Commissioners of eight North-Eastern States attended the meeting and through video conference,the Minister also directly interacted with some of the senior officers at their respective State Capitals. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman Kiran Kumar and Director NESAC P.L.N. Raju were also present at the meeting.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, it is a providential coincidence that while being Minister of DoNER, he is also holding the charge of MoS Space which enables him to have a better understanding of the latest nuances of Space Technology and its applications in difficult terrains of North-Eastern region. He also pointed out that even though North-Eastern Space Application Centre was located at Shillong and was affiliated with Department of Space and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Ministry of DoNER had not, so far, availed of the full potential utility of this major Space Centre in the region.
Referring to reports regarding delay in various development projects, particularly related to roads, Dr Jitendra Singh said, satellite imaging and other related techniques will be put to use not only for the purpose of scientific survey of road alignments but also for verification and authentication of the utilization certificates about the completed projects. With the help of latitude-longitude technology, the calculations and specifications of the location can be more specific with least error or pilferage, he added.
While the contribution of the Space Centre at Shillong in disaster management and disaster risk reduction already stands proven over a period of time, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the times to come, tele-education and tele-medicine using Space technology will help reinforce healthcare services in the region.
Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that the latest hi-tech weather forecast and rainfall data collection centre set up by the ISRO at Cherrapunji will not only prove to be an asset for Northeast, but for the entire country in general. In addition, Dr Jitendra Singh also referred to the collaboration recently initiated with the Ministries of Urban Development and Railways, and said,while on one hand “Smart City” plans for towns like Agartala will receive the benefit of ISRO technology, on the other hand, Prime Minister Modi’s mission to spread rail network in the region will move at an expedited pace with the assistance of ISRO expertise.
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