Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan launches KISAN Project and Hailstorm App

Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan today launched KISAN Project [C(K)rop Insurance using Space technology And geoiNformatics]  of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & FW, Ministry of Agriculture and FW.

The project envisages use of Space Technology and geoinformatics (GIS, GPS and Smartphone) technology along with high resolution data from UAV/Drone based imaging for improvement in yield estimation and better planning of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs), needed for crop insurance programme.  

The Pilot Study is proposed to be launched in one District each of Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra during Kharif season of 2015 and two Districts each of these States during Rabi season of 2015-16.  While launching the project Hon’ble MoS informed that once the Pilot Study is successful, it will be extended to the other parts of the country.

The KISAN project will be implemented by Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), an attached Office of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & FW, in collaboration with ISRO Centres (Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad & National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad), India Meteorological Department, CCAFS, State Agriculture Departments and State Remote Sensing Centres.

Dr. Balyan also launched an Android App. Designed by ISRO (National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad).  This App will help real time data collection about hailstorm occurrences along with photographs and geographical coordinates (longitude and latitude).

The Minister informed that App will help Government to get real time data about the Hailstorms which will be collected through the Agriculture Department officials of different States.  This will support in deciding the crop loss more objectively and in a very fast manner. 

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Northeast to have its own Film Institute: Dr. Jitendra Singh

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh has disclosed that the Northeast will soon have a Film Institute of its own. He was addressing a function for felicitating Shri Aribam Syam Sharma, world renowned “Grand Prix” and “National Award” winning film maker from Manipur, during the 3-day Northeast Film Festival being held at Siri Fort Auditorium, here today.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the entire region of Northeast is bestowed with scenic beauty which can match with the most beautiful locations in the world, but unfortunately this vast potential of the region has remained under - utilized by the film industry. He thanked the Union Finance Minister and I&B Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley who was generous enough to include in the Budget the setting up of a Film Institute in Arunachal Pradesh. This will not only help in boosting the film industry in Northeast but would also facilitate film makers from Bollywood, Tollywood and other parts of the country to explore the exclusive locales of the region, he added.

Dr. Jitendra Singh has said, Shri Aribam Syam Sharma’s work has reflections of some of the greatest Indian film makers like Shri Satyajit Ray, Shri Mrinal Sen and Shri Adoor Gopalakrishnan. He said, just before the award ceremony, he had the opportunity of watching “Ishanou”, a 1990 production by Shri Aribam which is not only rich in content and direction, but unlike most contemporary films, chooses the medium of visuals and silence to convey the theme instead of being loud or noisy. He suggested that the films made by Shri Aribam and other film makers of the same genre should be dubbed into other Indian languages so that these get wider exposure both for the film maker as well as the quality of cinema being produced in Northeast.

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