THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A knowledge centre will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram with the help of Indian Space Research Organisation. This decision follows a meeting between ISRO chief Dr K. Sivan and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Saturday. Mr Vijayan entrusted chief secretary Paul Antony, CM's scientific adviser M. C. Dathan and IT secretary M. Sivasankar to hold further talks with VSSC director S. Somanath.
The state will also seek industrial enterprises in IT, electronics and aerospace technology with the help of KINFRA. Dr Sivan informed Mr Vijayan that Knowledge Centre and Science Museum in memory of former President Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam will be started at the earliest. He said once he returned to Bengaluru, he would take steps to allot funds. Already the government has sanctioned 1.75 acres for the knowledge centre and science museum at Kowdiar.
The meeting entrusted KELTRON to produce electronic devices for satellites and launch vehicles for the three centres of ISRO in Thiruvananthapuram. The KELTRON will also manufacture more desi satellite phones and Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) devices already agreed between fisheries department and Space Application Centre at Ahmedabad. Mr Vijayan congratulated the ISRO officials who came out with the desi NavIC for fishers in the light of Ockhi Cyclone. The VSSC director also handed out a cheque of Rs 16.70 lakh towards the Ockhi relief fund. The meeting was also attended by ISRO scientific secretary P. G. Divakar, LPSC director V. Narayanan, fisheries minister J. Mercy Kutty Amma and fisheries principal secretary B. Srinivas.
