News: Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia interacted virtually with NE-SPARKS student visitors to ISRO HQ.
About NE-SPARKS Initiative
| NE-SPARKS | It is North East Students’ Programme for Awareness, Reach, and Knowledge on Space (NE-SPARKS). |
| Launched by | It is a flagship initiative supported by the Ministry of Development of North-East Region (MDoNER ) in collaboration with 8 North Eastern States and ISRO. |
| Purpose | To ignite curiosity and foster awareness about space science and technology among students from the North Eastern Region (NER) of India. |
| Eligibility | It envisages exposure visits for 800 meritorious science students (100 from each state of 8 NER) to premier ISRO Centres at Bengaluru. |
| Time period | Eight batches from April 2025 to December 2025, with at least one month between batches. |
| Funding Mechanism | Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and State Governments in a 60:40 ratio. |
| Implementing Ministry | MDoNER |
| Implementing Agency | North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) as nodal agency from ISRO, with support from Capacity Building & Public Outreach (CBPO), ISRO HQ. In collaboration with eight NER state governments. |
| Objectives | Bridge geographical and informational gaps through immersive exposure to India’s space research and exploration. To inspire students to envision futures in STEM by witnessing cutting-edge technologies and interacting with eminent scientists and engineers. |
