Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh visited the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) in Shillong on Monday, July 13. He chaired a meeting with heads of scientific institutions to review progress on regional innovation. Singh focused on research infrastructure and socio-economic growth.
The Minister inspected the Mobile Food Processing Unit. This project, a partnership between NECTAR and the CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, brings technology to rural areas. He labeled the unit a "processing on wheels" solution to help small and marginal farmers with value addition. He also toured the Vasundhara Soil Organic Carbon Detection Laboratory, which uses technology from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to provide on-site soil testing under the PM-DevINE scheme.
Education remains a priority. Singh visited the STEM Education Laboratory, operational since January 2025, where students learn robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing. He later inaugurated a new GeoInformatics Laboratory containing 17 drones, including LiDAR and hyperspectral-enabled vertical take-off and landing platforms. NECTAR has trained 569 drone technicians, 247 GIS and remote sensing professionals, 107 drone pilots, and over 4,500 students. These efforts created jobs for 190 local youths.
Regional connectivity has expanded significantly. Singh noted that weather radars increased from two in 2014 to 13 today. Seismological monitoring stations jumped from 80 to over 170 to improve disaster preparedness. The Minister urged institutions like CSIR-NGRI, NEIST, CMERI, IAAST, IIG-DST, CSO-NCS-IMD, and IBSD-DBT to align with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. He demanded greater collaboration to ensure research results reach the grassroots level.
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