Shillong, July 24:

Brief

– DoNER Minister, G. Kishan Reddy feels that NESAC has the ability to rebrand Shillong as the ‘Space Tech Capital of the East’

– NESAC has enabled North Eastern States to address issues and challenges with support of space technology

– NESAC focuses on practical applications of space technology in agriculture, and allied fields like silk farming where it can help in early detection of diseases, etc.

– NESAC has helped to preserve forests by assessing forest fires and protecting endangered wildlife such as rhinos by studying the changing land cover.

Full Story

Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), G. Kishan Reddy has expressed that the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) has the potential to rebrand Shillong as the ‘Space Tech Capital of the East’.

Speaking at the NESAC Society Meeting held on Saturday at NESAC, Reddy said, “As all of us know, Shillong is called the ‘Scotland of the East’ due to its scenic beauty. However, with the efforts of NESAC, I am sure it will soon be known as the ‘Space Tech Capital of the East.”

He said NESAC has enabled the States to address issues and challenges of North Eastern region with the support of space technology.

“The organisation can also provide the required strategic inputs for the entire region for its overall development and strategic planning,” he said.

The DoNER Minister was part of the group of Union Ministers led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who visited the space applications centre for the foundation stone laying ceremony for Multi-purpose Convention Centre cum Space Exhibition Facility of NESAC.

The DoNER Minister also informed that between 2014 and 2021, the assets of NESAC almost tripled from Rs. 41.6 crores to Rs. 112 crores. And this is a clear example of the Prime Minister’s commitment and his mantra, “Sabka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab ka Vishwas” being implemented on the ground.

He further stated that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that all the states of the North Eastern region have the same opportunities as other states to develop on part with the rest of India.

Activities of NESAC

– Activities of NESAC are focused on the practical applications of space technology in agriculture, and allied fields like silk farming where it can help in early detection of diseases, etc.

– The Center has helped preserve forests by assessing forest fires and protecting endangered wildlife such as rhinos by studying the changing land cover.

– NESAC has used satellite communication for telemedicine, and tele-education and about 1,000 programs are conducted each year.

– NESAC has helped to address the unpredictability of mother nature through weather prediction, and forecasting thunderstorms, lightning, and providing early flood warning and provides urban planning support and States can leverage on this to assess traffic congestion, property encroachments, and the mapping of utilities and assets.

– Recently, with support from NEC, NESAC has released North Eastern Spatial Data Repository (NeSDR) with about 950 datasets. These datasets are related to infrastructure, land and water resources, assets & utilities, terrain, disaster management support inputs and action plan inputs to empower developmental planning and monitoring activities in NE region.

– All the States are to take advantage of this data sets by signing MoUs with NESAC for specific activities such as detecting encroachments, and epidemic planning.