Meghalaya Cabinet Minister & Chairman Incharge State Projects, Alexander Laloo Hek today called on Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh, and held detailed discussions on strengthening Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) interventions for tribal communities in the Northeastern region.

The discussions centered around expanding the reach of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs being implemented by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, for the holistic development of Scheduled Tribe communities through science-based interventions and technology-enabled livelihood support.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently worked towards ensuring that the benefits of science and technology reach remote, tribal and underserved regions of the country. He emphasized that innovation-driven initiatives can play a transformative role in improving livelihood opportunities, skill development, grassroots entrepreneurship and quality of life in tribal areas.

During the interaction, Dr Jitendra Singh explained that the STI Hubs initiative has been designed to address last-mile challenges in delivery and adoption of technology solutions in tribal regions through collaborative partnerships involving scientific institutions, local stakeholders and community networks. The initiative also promotes grassroots innovation, capacity building and deployment of locally relevant technologies suited to regional requirements.

The Minister further shared that the Department of Science & Technology has established 53 STI Hubs across various States and Union Territories, including several tribal and Northeastern regions with the objective of connecting scientific innovation directly with community development and sustainable livelihood generation.

Alexander Laloo Hek apprised Dr Jitendra Singh about the immense potential of Meghalaya and the Northeastern region for wider implementation of innovation-led community development initiatives. The discussions also explored possibilities of strengthening institutional linkages between Central scientific bodies and local stakeholders for greater outreach of STI-based programmes in the region.

Dr Jitendra Singh encouraged greater participation from Northeastern States in the STI Hub initiative and suggested that detailed proposals and programme components under the scheme may be further examined in coordination with the concerned officials of the Department of Science & Technology for future collaboration and expansion.

The Meghalaya Minister also invited Dr Jitendra Singh to visit the State in connection with upcoming public welfare and development initiatives.

 

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