Shillong, July 24 (PTI) DoNER Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday urged the northeastern states to make use of the NESAC, an initiative to augment development process in the region by providing advanced space technology support.

Located at picturesque Umiam, about 20 km from here, the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) is a well-equipped state-of-the-art facility in the areas of remote sensing and geographical information system, disaster management, satellite communication and space and atmospheric science research.

Addressing the NESAC society meeting here, the Minister of Development of North East Region (DoNER) said, the facility has enabled the states in the region to address issues and challenges using space technology.

The NESAC is a joint initiative of the Department of Space and the North Eastern Council.

According to Reddy, the assets of NESAC almost tripled from Rs 41.6 crore to Rs 112 crore between 2014 and 2021, for which he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment and his mantra, “Sabka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab ka Vishwas”.

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 the early detection of diseases, he said.

“With the efforts of NESAC, I am sure Shillong will soon be known as the ‘Space Tech Capital of the East,' the Union minister said, adding that it was PM Modi's vision that all the states of the northeastern region have the same opportunities as other states to develop on par with the rest of the country.

Acknowledging NESAC's achievements, the Union minister said that the Centre has helped preserve forests by assessing forest fires and protecting endangered wildlife such as rhinos by studying the changing land cover.

It is also noteworthy that NESAC has used satellite communication for telemedicine, and tele-education and about 1,000 programmes are conducted each year, he added.

This apart, NESAC has helped to address the unpredictability of mother nature through weather prediction, and forecasting thunderstorms, lightning, and providing early flood warnings, Reddy said.

The DoNER minister said that with support from NEC, NESAC had recently released the North Eastern Spatial Data Repository (NeSDR) with about 950 datasets.

“These datasets are related to infrastructure, land and water resources, assets and utilities, terrain, disaster management support inputs and action plan inputs to empower developmental planning and monitoring activities in the NE region,” he said.

He urged all northeastern states to take advantage of these data sets by signing MoUs with NESAC for specific activities such as detecting encroachments, and epidemic planning. Extending his appreciation to NESAC for undertaking crucial projects and working under the able guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said, “As Amit Shah ji is the president of the NESAC Society and the Chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC), I am confident that NESAC would expand its footprint and prove to be a model of development for other states as well, as it paves way for holistic development of the region.”

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the construction of a multi-purpose convention centre cum space exhibition facility at NESAC premises near here.

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