Agartala: The state’s Department of Science and Technology on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with the North East Space Application Center (NESAC) with the aim to rationalise resource management and utilisation of devising space technology, Secretary of the department Pradip Kumar Chakraborty said.
The MoUs were signed and exchanged at Pragna Bhavan Agartala in the presence of Director North East Space Application Center SP Agarwal.
A total of 20 innovative projects worth Rs 4.23 crore have been approved to be completed in collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Chakraborty said, “Tripura is a vibrant state in terms of availability of resources but for years the state could not utilise these resources scientifically because of technological backwardness. There are several states in the country, which are now in an advanced stage in terms of rational use of technology for resource management. I hope this agreement with NESAC will give a fillip to the state’s intention to protect and preserve its resources devising advanced technology.”
On being asked what kind of projects are undertaken through this agreement, Chakraborty said, “Tripura is rich in resources. The biggest asset for any state is its land and agriculture. We have forests spread over vast swathes of land across the state, in bio-diversity also Tripura is unique. All these resources could be mapped using space technology.”
He also said that most importantly these technologies are very useful in developing early warning systems in case of natural calamities. “Every year Tripura faces flood fury. Landslides are a common feature of disasters. Earthquakes may happen in the state. So these technologies will help us in protecting lives in these emergency situations with timely responses,” he said.
According to Chakraborty, a total of 21 projects were approved in the first phase for joint implementation, but one project that is related to the expansion of telemedicine facilities has been set aside for now, which may or may not be included later.
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