NECTAR — North East Centre for Technology Application & Reach — is an autonomous body under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, with a specific mandate to assist the eight states of the North Eastern Region (NER) for implementation of its various schemes and projects to meet the main objective of delivering required technology(s) for societal welfare. It was formed to establish a technical linkage between the source of technologies and the state government agencies of the NER and other stakeholders of the region. The main idea behind forming this centre was to create a proactive institutionalised system to provide need-based technology solutions for overall development of the NE region. Thus, the centre was mandated to provide viable technologies, which are available and/or developed in scientific institutions of our country for promoting their proper applications in the NE region.
The aim was to facilitate not only the uses of proper technology but also to create sustainable livelihoods of local people. It is mandated to create skill developed activities on updated technologies and to provide support to initiate technology driven entrepreneurship in the North East region. With the formation of NECTAR, two missions — ‘National Mission for Bamboo Application (NMBA)’ and ‘Mission for Geo-spatial Application (MGA)’ — were merged with regular activities of the centre.
This is unique as NECTAR has been given a mandate to work hand-in-hand with all important stakeholders such as individuals, NGOs, Self-help Groups, Entrepreneurs and state government departments, etc. This centre has a special role to play in the entire NE to create technology hubs to produce value added products out of naturally available resources of the region. NECTAR, with its strong MGA experiences, can map different locations for possible and proper technology dissemination based on actual in-house raw materials of any blocks/ districts of any states of the North East. Execution of projects and in-situ monitoring of the same through the GIS platform has been taken up by NECTAR to see the positive outcome of most of the projects.
All Images Courtesy: NECTAR
A PARTNERSHIP INSTITUTION
Solution design would call for analysis of natural problems in the socio-economic contexts of NE states. This can be related to three specific types of inputs, i.e., (i) knowledge of local problems and earlier history of attempted solutions, (ii) information about plausible technology solutions and, (iii) capacity to assess technology solutions to solve the specific problems.
TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE TO THE STATE GOVERNMENTS OF NER
NECTAR interacts closely with all the NE state government departments for the intervention of technologies in various sectors that could contribute to the resource management and planning within the state. NECTAR, accordingly introduced two schemes viz., Technology Oriented Service Scheme (TOSS) and Bamboo Applications and Service Scheme (BAANS) for the deployment of funds to uplift various need based social infrastructures in the entire NE region. Any individual entrepreneur, NGOs, Self Help Groups, State Government departments are entitled to seek funds through TOSS and BAANS to implement activities in prescribed fields for socio-economic development of NE states (www.nectar.org.in).
FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY REACH
Most of the R&D institutes in the country are developing technologies to varying degrees of success. Moreover, the technology extension mechanisms require a different kind of skill and expertise, which are not commonly built into many R&D organisations. Hence, addressing the techno-social requirement for proper technology reach is one of the special features of NECTAR.
NECTAR’s overall activity is related to:
• The centre is harnessing and leveraging niche frontier technologies available with central scientific departments and institutions.
• The centre is working to address the gaps in economic activities in the NE region and generate employment potential through induction of technologies in various sectors. In other words, it is working to fill up voids in the current technology delivery system.
• The centre is structured in terms of:
➢ The Role of Solution Designer
➢ Being a Partnership Institution
Considering the mandate of the centre, NECTAR has already initiated large-scale implementation of technology interventions in the North East. As part of the initiative, more than 150 proposals have been considered covering all the eight NE states for funding. The outcome of these projects will provide livelihood to almost 1500 people either directly or indirectly. Some of the completed projects have already made an impact on society. For example, the project being initiated for cultivation of saffron all over the NE region is going to benefit a large cross section of people in the region.
The pilot project on cultivation of saffron has been successfully completed in various places Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Mizoram. A total of 65 farmers (mostly women) are involved in this project and positive output of the same is going to open a new saffron venture in the country in a big way. Initial soil monitoring was conducted by NECTAR’s inhouse geospatial facilities and after that detailed planning was initiated and implemented accordingly.
NECTAR has launched another project to promote production and use of natural fibre-based eco-friendly Yoga Mats made from locally available water hyacinth in the Deepar Beel area of Assam. This project was initiated by 5 girls from that region who lost their job in Bengaluru during Covid-19 time. Customised design solar driven de-hydrated technology was provided to them to dry the water hyacinth in large scale. Dried fibre extracted from water hyacinth is woven on the traditional Assamese loom, in different combinations of techniques, materials and tools to achieve a high quality 100% biodegradable and compostable Yoga Mat, which offers great comfort to the users. These yoga mats were produced before the International Yoga Day, 21June 2021. Through this project, NECTAR wants to uphold the message of ‘Vocal for Local’ by enhancing capacity and confidence of the local artisans, mainly women and girls of weaker sections such as the scheduled caste. The concerned communities live nearby the Deepar Beel, a famous wetland designated as a Ramsar Site located near the Guwahati city. This 100% biodegradable Yoga mat was named as ‘Moorhen (a famous bird which used to be seen in that area) Yoga Mat’. This project was materialised through an NGO of Assam known as SIMANG, initiated by five girls belonging to the fishing community. This initiative of NECTAR and the yoga mat as a product has received appreciation from all quarters.
NECTAR has been extensively promoting bamboo industry by supporting entrepreneurs through creation of marketing linkages, bridging gap between bamboo growers and industry, and organizing skill development training
NECTAR has initiated another project on ‘Improving sustainability of Traditional Terracotta and Pottery Business in the Asharikandi village in Dhubri district of Assam’ and ‘Ancient art of ‘Charei Taba Pottery’ (Coil Pottery) in the Andro village Imphal, East Manipur’. These two projects were implemented by providing required customised machinery from Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) Khurja, Haryana. Technology intervention in this traditional work has not only reduced the production time but also added more value to the final products. This initiative has provided an all round contribution to around 200 families, who have been directly involved in the same activities.
PM-DEVINE PROJECTS
Recently, under the ambitious scheme initiated by the government of India known as PM-DevINE (Prime Ministers Development Initiative in North East), NECTAR has been assigned two big projects viz., (i) Scientific Organic farming in NE and (ii) A Value Chain on Utilization of Banana Pseudo Stem for Value-Added Products. Outcome of both the projects will not only provide livelihood to the local people but also bring many NE products to the entire globe. This will lead to establishing a foot print of ‘Atma nirbharta’ in the NE region. In the scientific organic farming project, our idea is to geo-tag the farm labs and convert the same land to organic land in two years’ time, and finally, provide them with proper requisite certifications.
IMPACT THROUGH SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
In the sector of conducting the Skill Development Program, more than 2500 beneficiaries participated in about 300 programmes. The two skill development centres have been established in the campus of NIT Arunachal Pradesh and BCDI Agartala for regular training. The objective was for technology induction to create employment and livelihood among the local youth, women including disadvantaged communities, and the poor to stimulate reasonable economic growth. The training programmes are not only providing a platform for interaction with already established entrepreneurs, an exposure to various business models and government schemes, but also giving them necessary support for promoting effective and efficient use of local and natural resources, improving productivity and thus making them self-reliant (Atmanirbhar).
BOOSTING OF GEOSPATIAL AND DRONE SECTOR
There is an urgent need for geospatial technology for the North East region for the application in every developmental sector. An initiative has been made to create the capacity in NECTAR and practical training to NER students’ community through short-term training, internship, and exposure training programs in real time project scenarios. With the support of the ministry, NECTAR developed in-house capacity by acquisition of requisite hardware and software for diverse GIS applications, including acquisition of 12 advanced drones, training of 10 remote pilots, differential GPS instruments, etc., including training facilities/ infrastructure in a suitable location. Various external projects, i.e., under SVAMITVA, Agriculture Crop Mapping, mapping of coal mining areas, etc., are being run by the division. About 200 students have been given full time classroom-based training at the centre in real time projects with practical exposure on GIS remote sensing, drone data processing and awareness on assembling and disassembling of drones.
NECTAR’s vision and the objective is to create a conducive Drone and Geospatial Technology Application Ecosystem in the NER. The overall aim is to boost the NER economy, create employment opportunities and ensure the growth of local industries towards an Atmanirbhar North East. NECTAR has also done initial required home work to set up a Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO) in JN College, Boko, Guwahati, and replicate it in other parts of the NE. The idea is to generate more remote pilots, greater infusion of drone technology by setting up drone repair and manufacturing, assembling and disassembling institute to create a Drone Technology Hub in the next few years.
NECTAR has initiated many more activities for overall development of the NE region and creating sustainable livelihood for the local people. Besides taking up such projects, NECTAR is also considering setting up of state-specific Technology Demonstration Centre (TDC) in all states of the North East. The centre is looking forward to receiving all round cooperation from the state government departments for successful implementation of several ambitious projects in the entire NE region in future.
*The writer is Director General, NECTAR, SoI Campus, Barik Point, Shillong. He can be reached at dg.nectar@nectar.org.in
