CM N Biren on Thursday said that a Drone school in Manipur is in the pipeline. He added that the government will open a school to train youths on the operating and assembling of drones in the state for imparting skills in the said field, considering the versatility of drones in the modern world.
N Biren was speaking at the valedictory function of a three-day drone awareness training programme at IIIT complex at Mantripukhri.
The initiative to start a Drone school in Manipur is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to make India a hub for drone technology.
He informed that he has consulted with the IIIT to open the Drone training school only inside its campus.
He further noted that drones are now being employed for defence, domestic as well as commercial purposes. He further highlighted the significance of drones and information technology in the modern world.
CM tweeted about the event, “Attended the valedictory ceremony of the 3 days Drone Awareness Programme held at IIIT Complex in Mantripukhri today. Discussed the need to promote drone technology in agriculture, policing and other varied sectors for effective execution of duties and activities.”
Biren, however, raised concern that the students of the state are less interested in or unaware of the IT sector and drones despite their significance in the modern world.
He maintained that the youths of the state and the region should take advantage of the presence of such prestigious institutes and study at the IIIT in Manipur.
He further stated that the youths, who are enthusiastic about learning about IT, do not need to travel outside to other states like Karnataka or Tamil Nadu.
Biren further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put particular focus on the IT sector. He added that people who were once working abroad have returned and started working in the country, making the nation one of the best performers in the IT sector.
Meanwhile, chief secretary Rajesh Kumar said that the Manipur government is working out to effectively employ drones in the field of agriculture as well as in its War on Drugs campaign for the first phase. Besides, the feasibility of further applications of drones will also be explored in the near future, he added.
The valedictory function was also attended by the vice-chancellor, Dhanamanjuri University, professor N Rajmuhon Singh; director IIIT, and professor Krishnan Baskar among others.
As part of the function, certificates of participation were also distributed to the participants including those of the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, Police, and Civil departments like Agriculture, Department of Information Technology, Horticulture and Soil Conservation, and Health among others.
Later, CM Biren also inspected the ongoing construction work of the IT-SEZ building at Mantripukhri.
The initiative was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022 which is India’s biggest drone festival. Assam became the first in Northeast to have Drone School in Guwahati.