Bhubaneswar: The state is set to get 10 more science centres and six planetariums in the near future. The Centre has been requested to provide substantial fund and patronage to accelerate the various activities of science and technology department said Science and Technology Minister Ashok Chandra Panda.
The state already has two planetariums at Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur.
Earlier, Panda had informed the Assembly in August that four new planetariums will be set at Baripada, Rayagada, Keonjhar and Gopalpur at a total cost of Rs 30 crore. “Gopalpur planetarium will be set up at cost of Rs 9 crore while Rs 7 crore each will be spent for planetariums at Rayagada, Keonjhar and Baripada,” he said.
Panda while participating in the ‘Science and Technology Ministers’ Conclave’ held in Kolkata on the eve of India International Science Festival, urged the Centre to allocate more financial assistance to undertake the schemes of Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) to install large number of on-grid and off-grid connected solar power plants , drinking water projects in the backdrop of damages incurred due to the severe cyclone Fani that ravaged the state recently.
The minister also said that Odisha Space Application Centre (ORSAC) has shown tremendous success in geo-mapping and also informed that about 800 art works of the state will be digitised by the Science and Technology Department.
A data warehouse of the Odisha Special Data Infrastructure is being developed in the line of National Spatial Data Infrastructure, said Panda.
Panda also attended the fifth edition of ‘India-International Science Festival’ in Kolkata.
