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Satellites to monitor NE projects

By Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, March 12 - In a significant initiative, the Centre proposes to monitor the physical progress of projects in the North East by using satellites.

Confirming this, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh formally proposed monitoring of various projects in the North East through satellite images.

The DoNER Minister, presiding over a meeting, said satellite images can be effectively used for planning and evaluating the progress of various developmental projects in the north-eastern States.

Considering the fact that the Department of Space has already an establishment in Shillong called North-Eastern Space Application Centre, this should not be a difficult proposition, he said.

Dr Singh issued directions for conducting a meeting of the officials of the Space Department and the DoNER Ministry at an early date and work out a plan as to how to go about this plan. He said that the North East with its difficult topography and constraints of accessibility, offers an ideal case for using satellite images of roads and other construction works for their precise assessment. The Lat-Long (Latitude and Longitude) images obtained from satellites can also help in verification of the reports regarding the completion of work obtained through other means by actually picking up the precise location at which the work has been done.

Earlier, Union Secretary, DoNER, Naveen Verma made a detailed presentation focusing on the North East. He said a sum of about Rs 500 crore has been earmarked in the current Union Budget for installing solar pumps in eastern and north-eastern India.

Referring to the DoNER Minister�s suggestion to offer incentives to youths who opt for start-up initiatives in the North East, the Secretary said the Department is working on different options, including venture funds, offering 30 per cent of loss to be borne by the Ministry.

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