GUWAHATI: The Government of Assam has announced today that the Biotechnology Policy for the State of Assam (2022-2027) will be implemented with adequate budget allocation to support start-ups in the state.
It was further announced that the Business Enterprise Zone (BEZ) will be set-up at the Guwahati Biotech Park in Amingaon at an allocated a budget of ₹29.48 crore.
Additionally, a total of 17 district science centers are currently being established, over and above the existing planetariums in Guwahati, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Nalbari, and Lakhimpur, which are set to become science hubs, and will promote science and technology among people in collaboration with the Aryabhata Science Centres and other institutions, with Jorhat Science Centre and Planetarium as the pilot model.
Furthermore, an allocation of land to ISRO at Chandrapur for their NETRA project was announced by the State Finance Minister who said, “This [Science, Technology and Climate Change] department has signed a Memorandum of Transfer with ISRO, Department of Space, and APGCL, allocating 200 bighas of land at Chandrapur, Kamrup (M) District for the Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) Project showcasing Assam's commitment to space technology. We will introduce Science, Technology and Innovation Policy for the State in line with National STI policy.”
The NETRA project was announced in 2019 by the Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) is an early warning system project designed with an aim to detect potential hazards to Indian satellites.
She also announced that Chief Minister's Bigyan Pratibha Sandhan is being implemented to provide mentorship to meritorious students of class XI through premier national institutes such as IIT, Guwahati and IISc, Bangalore. National Children's Science Congress, with ₹45 lakh allocated for the same, while the Green Innovation Fund announced in the budget last year is also being implemented with adequate funding for promoting R&D grants and incubation programs in sustainable green technologies.
The Science, Technology and Climate Change department was allocated ₹115.60 crore in the current financial year 2024-25 for the various projects.