The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that Northeast students in the age group of 6 to 18 years studying in Class 1 to 12 will be involved in the "Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan" launched by the Modi government. Dr. Jitendra Singh has disclosed this at a meeting with representatives of Northeast youth and student groups, here today as a major initiative to bring the Northeast youth further closer to mainstream India and offer them high quality training in the field of science and technology which would enable these students to attend exclusive National Science Training Programme along with their peers from other parts of the country. Dr. Jitendra Singh said that one of the crucial problems faced by Northeast the region is large exodus of youth to other parts of the country and overseas. The two main factors responsible for this are lack of quality education and lack of jobs in the region, said Dr Jitendra Singh and went on to explain that by becoming part of innovative programmes like "Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan", young students will not only find themselves better equipped to take up professional or vocational careers in later life but would also feel more confident to rub shoulders with youth from other parts of the country.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) is organizing a programme on "Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan" on July 09, 2015 where eminent personalities like Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President, will be addressing the audience. He lauded the initiative of the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Smt. Smriti Irani and thanked her for having involved the DoNER Ministry, thus providing an opportunity for the students of Northeast also to be part of this ambitious All-India programme. Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed hope that the innovative programme of HRD Ministry will not only make the learning of science and mathematics a joyful experience but would also encourage students to explore and innovate through their original effort. Dr. Jitendra Singh called upon the student representatives to furnish the list of prospective student participants for being forwarded to HRD Ministry and also to spell out the priorities from their point of view.