Meghalaya Chief Secretary DP Wahlang on Friday emphasized the need for greater collaboration between the state government and key institutions such as the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) and the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC). Acknowledging that these institutions have been underutilized, he assured that they would play a more active role in supporting the state’s special purpose vehicles, including the Basin Development Authority and the Basin Management Agency, to drive scientific and technological advancements.
The Chief Secretary inaugurated the STEM Education Lab and the Vasundhara Soil Organic Carbon Detection Laboratory cum Manufacturing Unit at the NECTAR office in Shillong. Addressing the gathering, he underscored the necessity of stronger institutional partnerships. “We need to really work very closely now from the state government, and I’ll make sure that both these institutions, NECTAR and NESAC, which we have underutilized, are more involved with all our special purpose vehicles in the state. We have quite a number of them, such as the Basin Development Authority and the Basin Management Agency. Your scientific and technological expertise will be crucial in making key decisions, and you will be more involved in the future. You will see a stronger, better, and more robust partnership between the state government of Meghalaya and NECTAR and NESAC,” Wahlang stated.
Highlighting the significance of the STEM program, he noted its role in bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. “The STEM program is conducted under the Smart Village Movement to promote technologies in community centers and schools. The inauguration of the STEM lab is crucial because there is a huge gap between what students learn in classrooms and what they see in reality. Theoretically, they learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), but they do not experience it practically. With the intervention of NECTAR, the STEM lab will help students bridge this gap. What will be exhibited in the STEM lab at the school level is what we used to see at the engineering level during our time. This technological leap over the past 20-25 years will provide students in over 100 schools with an opportunity to develop a scientific temperament and acquire the necessary knowledge before moving forward,” he said.
The STEM Lab, developed at NECTAR Headquarters in collaboration with the Smart Village Movement (SVM), Curiosity Gym Mumbai, and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, aims to empower students from around 100 schools in Shillong. The initiative seeks to enhance experiential learning for both teachers and students through access to state-of-the-art equipment, training, and STEM components such as electronics, robotics, and 3D printing.
Speaking on various initiatives under the Smart Village Movement, Wahlang elaborated on efforts to integrate technology into governance and development. “We have teamed up with the Smart Village Movement, which is a collaboration between the Meghalaya Basin Development Agency (MBDA) and the University of California, Berkeley. Several initiatives have been undertaken, including drone delivery of medicines to remote health centers, the establishment of Gramin Health Centers, and AI-driven robotic cleaning of the Umiam River. Though the robotic cleaning is currently on a small scale, we will scale it up based on its impact assessment. Partnering with NECTAR in this movement is crucial, and I am confident we will continue to implement more innovative practices,” he remarked.
Addressing the Vasundhara initiative, Wahlang highlighted its significance for Meghalaya’s farmers. “For checking the carbon content of plants, Vasundhara will be very helpful to all farmers in the state. This is the first initiative from ‘file to field.’ Farmers should not only learn through capacity-building programs and training but also witness real-life applications. The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has funded this initiative under PM-DevINE, and more than a thousand farmers will benefit from it. It is critical to map the soil content, identify the available nutrients, and determine the suitability of soil for specific crops,” he said.
A ‘Mini Laboratory cum Bulk Manufacturing Facility’ for the Vasundhara Soil Organic Carbon and pH Detection Kit has been developed under the PM-DevINE project titled “Promotion of Scientific Organic Agriculture in Northeast India” with technical support from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The project aims to create a sustainable organic farming ecosystem by training 25,000 farmers across 250 organic-certified clusters in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Manipur. The soil testing kits will provide in-situ testing facilities for farmers to assess organic carbon content and receive accurate recommendations for organic inputs. These kits will be distributed free of charge to 25,000 farmers.
The event was attended by Dr. M. Mohanty, Head of the AI Division at the Department of Science and Technology (DST); Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma, Director General of NECTAR; Swapnil Tembe, IAS, Secretary of the Education Department and Director of School Education & Literacy, Government of Meghalaya; Mangsatabam Iboyaima Meitei, Adviser (Horticulture) at the North Eastern Council Secretariat, Shillong; Shaphrang Sawkmie, Assistant Research Officer and Officer in Charge at the State Council of Science, Technology & Environment, Meghalaya, along with other officials and experts from NECTAR and the Smart Village Movement, Meghalaya.