Science is the primary step to progress. That is why one has to stay updated with science. This Science city can become a significant medium in making science learning fun, said Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha after inaugurating the newly constructed Agartala Science City today at Progeny Orchard located at Siddi Ashram in Agartala.
It is to be noted that the Science City on 12.84 Acre land has been constructed at the cost of 67.38 crore rupees following the instructed guidelines of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).
The Chief Minister also said, Israel, a country with a population of 93 lakh people is far ahead in the world in terms of science. As a result, they are far ahead of other countries in the world in building advanced equipment and modern infrastructure.
He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also trying to take the country forward based on science and technology. Therefore, the Prime Minister took the initiative to transform the country to Digital India since the beginning of his tenure.
The Chief Minister said, that all the states of the North East region are on the path of development today due to the Act East policy of the Prime Minister. Our state now has broad gauge railway, high speed internet system, improved road connectivity and a beautiful airport with state-of-art infrastructure. He hope that under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the present state government will be able to take the state much further.
Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma said, prior to 2019, construction of the Science City was completed only 30%. No fund was allocated in advance by the previous government to complete this work. The construction of this world-class science city has been completed in a very short span of time by the PWD department during the period of the present government.
It is to be noted that Rs 22.68 crore has been spent by the Ministry of DoNER, Rs 24.70 crore by the state government and Rs 20 crore has been spent from SPA for the construction of the Science City. The main building consists of 6 Exhibition Halls, 2 Seminar Halls, 1 Planetarium, 1 3D Hall, 1 Children’s Activity Hall. Exhibition components include Fun Science Exhibit Gallery, Astronomy, Temporary Exhibition, Biodiversity Gallery, 3D Theater and Planetarium. Besides, a Science Park will also be constructed here in the coming days.
Director General of NCSM Arijit Dutta Choudhury in his welcome speech informed that Udaipur Science Centre has turned into a significant Science Centre in the country. MLA Mimi Majumdar, Principal Secretary of Science & Technology department K. S. Sethi and Director Animesh Das also spoke on the occasion. Jail Minister Ram Prasad Pal was also present in the inaugural programme.