Cusat radar gets Rs 4-crore grant from Department of Science and Technology

KOCHI: The Department of Science and Technology has sanctioned an additional grant of Rs 4 crore to the ST Radar Centre commissioned at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) under Science and Engineering Research Board scheme. The fund has been allotted under the research project titled "Studies on the Troposphere features and Stratosphere Troposphere Coupling process over the Monsoon region using ST radar", in addition to the Rs 20 crore grant sanctioned earlier under the same scheme.

The ST radar commissioned at Cusat operates at 205 MHz frequency is the first wind profiler radar in the near equatorial site to study the monsoon features in India. NITI Ayog member and former Director General of DRDO Padmabhushan Dr. V.K. Saraswat visited Cusat radar centre in March, 2016 in view of establishing a network of 20 similar indigenous radars along the length and breadth of the country for aiding weather prediction. Steps have been taken to include this project in the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ programme'. This is the highest project funded by Ministry of Science and Technology, to a state funded university.