The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that Department of Space will soon sign a MoU with Airports Authority of India (AAI) which will help in providing scientific parameters for airports’ construction. It will also provide data on the landscape around the airports. He was addressing the press on use of space technology in various Ministries, here today. The space technology will help in making the flights safer and provide the optimum utilization of the land, he added.In the field of aviation sector, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the use of space technology is being done on pilot basis in the Hyderabad and Port Blair airport.
Based upon the experience of this pilot project, the space technology will be utilized in 42 airports in future. He said that the DoS will also sign MoU with Postal Department where the space technology will be helpful in the tracking the movement of a parcel. ISRO will take Postal service in India to a new level, thus enabling the recipient to track the parcel and also decide the delivery time, he added.Dr Jitendra Singh said that in the last two years the Department of Space has started contributing towards various applications other than launching satellites. These applications are huge and multi-faceted, he added. He said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi himself gives high priority to scientific endeavor and this has helped the department to touch new heights in the recent past.
Elaborating the role of space technology in various Ministries, the Minister said that Department of Space has already signed MoU with Ministry of Urban Development where the space technology will be used in projects like smart cities and housing. The MoU signed with Ministry of Railways will help in construction of railway tracks and managing the railway crossing. Space technology will also be helpful in agriculture sector in the areas of crop damage assessment, soil health, blue revolution and irrigation etc. He said that space technology is also useful in disaster management. Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that the last satellite of the IRNSS series will be launched on 28th April, 2016 which will complete the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, that will provide navigation facility in and around India. He complimented the scientists of ISRO for their dedication and sincerity in taking Indian space programme to higher level. Shri A. S. Kiran Kumar, Secretary Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO and senior officers of the Department of Space were also present.