The Telangana government on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to improve services of its educational channel 'Mana TV'.The MoU was inked by officials of the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communication of the state government, and ISRO's Development & Educational Communication Unit (DECU)."The state government and DECU will work together to create and disseminate educational content by using Satcom, so that it reaches the entire population of the state," said DECU Director Virender Kumar.Lauding Telangana for embarking on a noble programme to use space technology, he said this would greatly contribute to the overall development of the state.IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao said this arrangement would help the channel start coaching classes from October 1 for those appearing for Group II services examination of the Telangana Public Service Commission (TPSC).The minister said the channel will telecast daily a four-hour programme for candidates preparing for the examination.Rama Rao further said that Mana TV will also launch similar coaching programmes for the students preparing for EAMCET, the common entrance test for admissions to engineering and medical courses, Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and other competitive examinations.
"Our ultimate goal is to ensure that Mana TV reaches all 90 lakh houses in the state and students from schools to colleges and universities, and also those seeking jobs and preparing for various competitive exams," he added.He announced that with the help of ISRO, 6,000 schools in the state will launch digital classes from October 14.The minister further said that the government would go beyond education to use satellite technology, so that all sections of people can benefit. "We may launch more channels to cater to various sections as was done in Gujarat," he added.Last month, the Irrigation Department had signed an MoU with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of ISRO to use space technology for real-time monitoring of all water resources in the state.Rama Rao, who is also Minister for Municipal Administration, said the government also planned to use ISRO's satellite technology for flood management and to solve other urban issues.Satellite technology would also be used to provide better services to farmers and for effective management of underground water resources, he added.