Tripura has finalized a ‘Plan of Action’ in consultation with the North East Space Application Centre (NESAC) to utilize space technology in developmental works according to the advice of Union Hime Minister Amit Shah.
Taking part in the special meeting of NESAC Society in Shillong on Saturday, Tripura Chief Minister said this and added Tripura has already identified 21 projects in which space technology could be utilized. Amit Shah chaired the NESAC society meeting.
In the Plan of Action, there is a target for Mapping of Agar cultivation areas and site suitability analysis for expansion of Agar plantation in Tripura as it has a very good prospect and potential in the state which would make a positive impact on our economy, Deb said according to a government press release.
The Chief Minister also said in the meeting that Tripura already finalized two projects proposals namely ‘Application of geo spatial technology for development support in Agriculture and allied sector’ with state funding and another was ‘Development of Geo-tourism dashboard for planning and management of tourism in the state’ with support from the North East Council.
Focusing on achievements in space application, Deb said, “By utilizing the Space Technology, Ground Water Prospect Mapping has been done for the entire State to assess the sub surface water availability which is being extensively used by the PWD (DWS), Government of Tripura where success rate has considerably improved in terms of water source creation by construction of deep tube well, and small bore deep tube well etc.,” Deb told the meeting.
Improvement in GIS, Remote Sensing
The Chief Minister then highlighted that Tripura had developed a GIS-based Industrial Land Bank Management System which facilitates industries to explore land availability and also encourages ease of doing business.
He said, “Identification of the most suitable sites for the water harvesting structures is crucial for maximizing recharge and conservation of water. GIS and Remote Sensing is an effective tool in planning for constructing these structures. In Integrated Watershed Management Projects (IWMP), we have completed 1825 Check Dams in the state.”
“Tripura Space Application Centre has conducted a comparative study of the said locations based on pre and post Satellite Imageries, showing the positive impact of the interventions taken up. The outputs are available on BHUVAN Geo-ICT Web portal. I strongly believe that these technologies would be more beneficial if we can use them more and more in the North East region,” the Chief Minister said in the meeting.
Water bodies restored in urban areas
In another important note, Deb highlighted that as per the direction of National Green Tribunal, Tripura Space Application Centre had identified 31,694 water bodies in the state out of which, 1910 water bodies were identified with the area of more than 2 acres for which geo-tagging and verification of such water bodies were going on.
He said that restoration of water bodies would be taken up wherever required considering water quality and 30 polluted water bodies in the Urban Local Bodies were already restored.
Geospatial technology to boost Tourism sector
Considering the enormous potential for the tourism industry in all NER states, it is very much necessary to make use of geospatial technology for showcasing existing tourist spots as well as potential sites for tourism activity to the rest of the world, Deb said.
Focusing on Agricultural practices in the North East region, Deb said, “Applications of geospatial technology for developmental support of agriculture in North Eastern States may be a good option for better output through monitoring of selected major crops using satellite remote sensing.”
He also suggested for development of a Mobile App and Dashboard to add more strength for the planning and monitoring of Crop Cutting Experiment in the states of North East for increased productivity.
The Chief Minister raised an issue that the state government was uploading the beneficiary oriented data pertaining to Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the portals of the respective Central Ministries but the Ministries were not sharing such data with the state government.
In this context, he requested that the database of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes may be shared with the departments of the state governments so that it can be used for planning purposes.
