According to Mugdha Sinha, secretary for science & technology, the Rajasthan government intends to hold science camps in each of the state’s 33 districts with the goal of identifying “Citizen Scientists” in each area.
Students will learn how to use telescopes, recognise stars and planets, and create science-related toys at these camps, she said.
Aim to generate interest among students in the science stream
The point is to create interest among understudies in the science stream so the state delivers more understudies like Kalpana Chawla, Mugdha told.
Each district will select approximately 5 students who will be paid a monthly stipend. Mugdha stated that the file has been forwarded to the appropriate department for financial approval.
“We have created a Google form and work has started in this direction. Those being included in this citizen scientist programme are amateur astronomers, assistant professors, students among others. The selected students will be given hands-on training to operate telescopes, and will be imparted hands-on skills to make science toys so that they can also generate other students’ interest in science,” she added.
Rajasthan has become the first state in India to launch night sky astro tourism in all its 33 districts. The Department of Art and Culture introduced a ‘Night Sky Tourism Project’ to introduce sky-gazing among the tourists.
