Patna (ABN) A review meeting of the projects being run by the Bihar Remote Sensing Application Center was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Pritya Amrit. The meeting was attended by Development Commissioner Mahir Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education Dr. Pratima, and Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and Secretaries of various departments.
In the meeting, a presentation was given on the current activities of BIRSAC through the Secretary of the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education. It was stated that BIRSAC is playing an active role in activities such as creating geo-spatial inventories of natural resources and departmental assets in the state, providing local data for state-level planning and development works, disaster monitoring and management, and creating a geographical database at the village level.
During the review, the Chief Secretary directed all departments to ensure the organized and comprehensive use of BIRSAC's geo-spatial services. In this regard, information was given about the state government's policy for the use of BIRSAC's geo-spatial services, under which geo-spatial analytics have been made a mandatory addition to the DPR for infrastructure projects worth Rs 50 crore or more. Under this, the concerned department will have to pay a fee of only 0.25 percent of the total project cost to use the services of BIRSAC. This minimal fee will strengthen the financial capability of the institution and make the entire system self-sufficient without putting any additional financial burden on the state.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary laid special emphasis on formally integrating BIRSAC's geographical capabilities into the process of planning the state's infrastructure. He clarified that the use of BIRSAC's services is no longer optional, but necessary, to ensure the scientific, data-driven, and futuristic development of infrastructure in the state. All departments were directed to include geo-spatial inputs at the planning stage itself, so that technical, administrative, and land-related obstacles can be avoided in later stages.
In the meeting, the Chief Secretary clarified that now, for all infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 50 crore, technical approval from BIRSAC will be required before the DPR gets financial approval. All departments were directed to ensure strict compliance with this provision.
In the meeting, it was informed by the departmental secretary that a digital tool is being developed in collaboration with the Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG-N) to prepare the DPR for infrastructure projects. This tool will use the departmental data available on the PM Gati Shakti portal to assist in project planning, alignment, and diagnosis and will make the preparation of the DPR more robust. The present departments agreed that this system will stop the duplication of work, save costs, and identify potential obstacles such as land, forest, and cross-drainage issues at the initial stage in matters like road alignment. The system will also be helpful in monitoring activities such as disaster management and crop burning.
All departments can benefit from the system as needed. The Chief Secretary directed all departments to provide regular updates on the progress of work on the portal and to further strengthen inter-departmental coordination. He appreciated the work being done by BIRSAC and emphasized the need to further strengthen the institution's technical and human resources.