Meghalaya Minister Alexander Laloo Hek met Union Minister Jitendra Singh to discuss expanding science and technology initiatives for tribal communities in the Northeast.
New Delhi, May 25: Meghalaya Cabinet Minister Alexander Laloo Hek on Monday met Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh to discuss strengthening science, technology and innovation-based interventions for tribal communities in the Northeastern region.
The meeting focused on expanding the reach of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs being implemented by the Department of Science and Technology for the socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribe communities through science-based solutions and technology-enabled livelihood support.
During the discussions, Jitendra Singh said that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently worked to ensure that the benefits of science and technology reach remote, tribal and underserved regions of the country. He said that innovation-driven programmes can play a major role in improving livelihood opportunities, promoting grassroots entrepreneurship, enhancing skill development and improving the quality of life in tribal areas.
The Union Minister explained that the STI Hubs initiative was designed to address last-mile challenges in delivering and adopting technology solutions in tribal regions through partnerships involving scientific institutions, local stakeholders and community networks.
According to him, the initiative also promotes grassroots innovation, capacity building and deployment of technologies suited to local and regional requirements. Jitendra Singh further informed that the Department of Science and Technology has established 53 STI Hubs across different States and Union Territories, including several tribal and Northeastern regions, with the objective of linking scientific innovation directly with community development and sustainable livelihood generation.
Alexander Laloo Hek highlighted the potential of Meghalaya and the wider Northeastern region for expanding innovation-led community development initiatives. The Meghalaya minister also discussed the need to strengthen institutional linkages between Central scientific bodies and local stakeholders to improve the outreach and implementation of STI-based programmes in the region.
During the interaction, possibilities for future collaboration and expansion of science and technology initiatives in the Northeast were also explored.
Jitendra Singh encouraged greater participation from Northeastern states under the STI Hub initiative and suggested that detailed proposals and programme components may be further examined in coordination with officials of the Department of Science and Technology.
The meeting also discussed the importance of using locally relevant technologies to address regional development challenges and generate sustainable livelihood opportunities for tribal communities.
Alexander Laloo Hek later invited the Union Minister to visit Meghalaya in connection with upcoming public welfare and development initiatives in the state.
