DOOMDOOMA, Nov 16 - Dr Jai Singh Parihar, a renowned space scientist of the country and former Deputy Director of the ISRO Space Centre in Ahmedabad, has praised the children of Assam for possessing multifaceted talent.
Dr Parihar was here recently to participate in the 27th state-level National Children�s Science Congress.
In an exclusive interview with this Correspondent, Dr Parihar said, �The 27th state- level National Children�s Science Congress- 2019 with the focal theme of �Science, Technology and Innovation for Clean, Green and Healthy Nation� was on the most timely and appropriate topic. The type of environmental problems being faced and its intensity in different regions is strong enough a reason to create awareness as well as take preventive measures to minimise the problems.�
�It is very important to institute such mechanism in those regions where degradation is relatively less, so that preventive action could be taken before the situation goes beyond control. Sensitising the young minds about the need of cleanliness and finding green solutions to problems will go a long way in meeting this objective.�
Appreciating the child scientists taking part in the Congress, Dr Parihar said, �The scientific temperament and awareness of the participating students is evident from the projects formulated by them. The projects are based on the understanding of the root cause of problems and aim at exploring the use of green sources for solutions. The scientific talent of the students was also evident in the diversity and range of questions asked by them during the interactions. The students displayed multifaceted talent in the cultural programmes � poetry, song, dance, drama, etc. Organising such events in rural areas will result in helping students from places with lower level of access to amenities, to ultimately lead to quality scientific human resource to serve the nation.�
Asked about the educational scenario of the North East, the renowned space scientist who also worked at the North Eastern Space Application Centre in Shillong said, �The North East has an old tradition of education. There are a number of good institutions in the fields of science and technology � Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, North East Hill University (NEHU) in Shillong, Central Agricultural University in Imphal, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) in Itanagar, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, and North Eastern Space Applications Centre in Umiam, Meghalaya. There is no dearth of institutions for high quality teaching and research in the region.�
�There are a number of universities and colleges in Assam itself, covering most of the disciplines of science, engineering, medicine, etc. To help the bright, young students crack the entrance examinations at the national level, providing them quality coaching by using satellite communication or internet may be helpful. Students in colleges, research and technical institutes can work on designing student satellites and small payloads and make use of the opportunity to learn about space technology and analysis of data from satellite missions,� he said.
On the environment in the North East, Dr Parihar said, �It is indeed a matter of pride that the North East is so green and clean. The credit goes to the people for maintaining it. I have been visiting the region since the last 35 years. I see a lot of plantations and trees within habitation areas. Horticultural crops in shifting cultivation areas is also a good practice. You have set an example for the rest of the country. I have travelled to many parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and several new bridges and beautiful roads have made it easily accessible.
With increase in footfall to the earlier inaccessible parts, we have to ensure that it does not adversely affect the greenery as well as the cleanliness. Keeping a watch on the natural resources and environment by using data from Earth observation satellites will be useful in this direction,� he observed.
