(MENAFN- IANS) Agartala, Dec 21 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the demographic data of people along the India-Myanmar border, especially in Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, should be mapped so that it can help in fencing of the border and infiltration can be stopped.
The Home Minister, who chaired the 12th meeting of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) Society in Agartala, said that there is a need to conduct a comprehensive survey in the border areas.
Four northeastern states – Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) – share 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has planned to fence the entire 1,643 km porous India-Myanmar border, known for the smuggling of arms, ammunition and narcotics, at a cost of Rs 31,000 crore.
HM Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's space sector has taken a giant leap forward in the last 10 years.
He said that after 25 years of establishment of NESAC Society, the positive aspects of the work being done by the society are now visible.
The Home Minister said that the NESAC Society should further expand the scope of its work in the northeastern states, and, for this, initiatives should also be taken by the state governments.
HM Shah urged the NESAC society to take 100 students each with a science background from all the states of the northeast on a visit to the HQ of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) so that they can develop interest in space and related technology.
He urged the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) to contribute 60 per cent for this project.
HM Shah also requested the state governments of the northeast to start new courses related to space technology in engineering colleges.
He said that so far, 20 waterways have been built with the help of NESAC and the Society should explore the possibility of building more waterways.
The Home Minister said that there is a need for extensive mapping for mineral, oil, and coal reserves in the northeastern states. The northeastern states would be financially benefited from the royalty received for these minerals.
HM Shah said that the NESAC Society should focus on forest area development using space science.
He said that for this, necessary steps should be taken by comparing old maps with the latest maps and where there are possibilities, efforts should be made to plant trees in collaboration with the state governments.
Similarly, the Home Minister also asked the Society to map floods in the northeastern states.
The Home Minister lauded the efforts of NESAC Society for proper and positive use of space technology in administration and emphasized its extensive use in the development of a difficult geographical area like the northeast in the coming times.
HM Shah also said that the NESAC Society should also focus on developing its revenue model.
DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, his deputy Sukanta Majumdar, Chief Ministers of several northeastern states , union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Secretary, Department of Space Dr. S. Somnath and Director, Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, senior officials of the central and state governments of northeastern states were present in the meeting.
The Union Home Minister is the President of the NESAC Society while the ISRO chief is the Chairman of the NESAC Governing Council.
Through satellite-based imageries and studies, the NESAC, situated in Meghalaya's Umiam, helped the northeastern states in planning, preparing and monitoring diverse projects ranging from agriculture to various infrastructures.
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